Guilty by Association
by Sandy O'Neill
Summary: Sandy is guilty by association...
1. Chapter 1

Sandy looked out into the night sky, reflecting on the recent turn his life had taken. Everything looked so perfect out here. The stars shone brightly against the stark black background of the night. He was happy. For once in his life, he was truly happy. Who would have thought that he'd ever find a place where he belonged? Let alone some one to love…

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"What do you mean that Eden August is alive?" The anger in Vinnie's voice was unmistakable. He had been duped and now someone was going to pay. Eventually he would track her down, but right now he would settle for whoever was responsible for keeping her alive. "Witness protection, huh? What do you mean you don't know where she's been relocated? But you can tell me who set this up for her… The DA… O'Neil… I need to see you as soon as possible… No, I need to talk to you in person…" Vinnie slammed down the phone and tapped his fingers listlessly on the desk. Jeffrey was going to pay for this.

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"Hey you…" A familiar voice rang in Sandy's ears. Of course Jeffrey had looked around before showing him any signs of affection. But they seemed to be the only ones out here tonight. He wrapped an arm around Sandy and smiled.

"Hey you…" Sandy said, turning to face his lover. He planted a soft kiss on Jeffrey's lips before pulling away. "I wasn't sure I would see you today… You're always working… on something…"

"Well… I'm getting close…" Jeffrey said.

"Close to what?" Sandy asked.

"Never mind…" Jeffrey said. "Let's just focus on tonight…"

Sandy smiled. He'd be content to do just that.

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"I want you to watch O'Neil… Track his every move." The tone in Vinnie's voice grew even more cold and hardened "I need you to find me his weakness so that it can be effectively exploited. Don't wait around… I need you to get on this tonight…"

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	2. Chapter 2

Jeffrey pushed Sandy up against the wall as he kissed him. Their hands fumbled with the buttons on each other's clothes, and Jeffrey managed to get Sandy completely naked, before Sandy even had Jeffrey's shirt off. He grabbed Sandy and turned him around, cuffing his hands behind his back.

Sandy whimpered slightly before Jeffrey pushed him down onto his knees.

Jeffrey pulled his own shirt off as he looked down at Sandy. He pulled his pants off as slowly as he could, watching the hungry look in his lover's eyes. He grabbed Sandy's head, inching him closer and closer to his cock.

When he was pulled close enough, Sandy wrapped his mouth around Jeffrey's cock. He ran his tongue over the head teasingly before taking him in deeper.

"Oh God…" Jeffrey let out a low groan when he felt Sandy's hot mouth envelope him. He tangled his fingers in Sandy's hair, gripping it tightly.

Sandy moaned over Jeffrey's cock, but the sound came out muffled. He continued to move his mouth up and down over the length of his lover's erection, quickening his pace until he could feel Jeffrey's grip on him tighten as he brought him closer and closer. Sandy's own cock was painfully hard, and he wanted desperately to stroke himself, but the cuffs kept his hands in place, the frustration only heightening the level of his arousal.

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Was that the DA's room window that had been left open? The man peered inside, careful not to be too conspicuous. I knew you had your secrets O'Neil… This was going to be too easy. Who was that kid with a mouthful of the DA's cock? He'd certainly find out. He snapped a few pictures and headed back to his boss.

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Jeffrey groaned again as he finally came in Sandy's mouth.

Sandy whimpered, swallowing what he could before Jeffrey pulled out of his mouth. He looked up at him, licking the remainder of Jeffrey's spending off of his lips in the most lascivious way he could manage.

It was one of the most intensely erotic sights Jeffrey had ever seen; enough to make him start to harden again, even though he'd just cum a few short seconds ago. He loosed one of Sandy's hands from the cuffs and pushed him onto the bed, climbing right on top of him. He cuffed Sandy's hands to the headboard and slowly ran his hands down Sandy's body as he heard his breathing start to hitch.

Sandy panted as he felt Jeffrey's hands on him, which were soon followed by Jeffrey's lips; trailing kisses down his chest. He moaned when he felt Jeffrey's hand on his cock, beginning to stroke him, if ever so slowly.

After a few short minutes, the noises that Sandy was making from all of the kissing and touching were enough to bring Jeffrey's arousal back completely. He grabbed the lube off of the nightstand and slowly rubbed it over his cock, watching Sandy's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

Sandy was breathing heavier now, he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. He was just aching to feel Jeffrey inside of him.

Jeffrey moved between Sandy's legs and brought them over his shoulders. He pressed his hard cock against Sandy's opening, but didn't push himself inside. He loved to tease Sandy, driving his lover mad with desire.

"Please…" Sandy whimpered needily. "Jeffrey…"

Jeffrey moved his lips to Sandy's ear, nipping it lightly before whispering. "Please what?" He wanted to hear Sandy say it. He loved hearing him beg for it.

"Please…" Sandy said, unable to stifle a needy groan before trying desperately to put together a coherent sentence through his haze of desire. "Please… Fuck… Me…" he finally managed.

Jeffrey couldn't wait any longer himself. As soon as the words left his lovers mouth, Jeffrey pushed into him, moaning softly at the feel of his lover's tightness around him.

"God… Jeffrey…" Sandy moaned as he pushed up against him, before bringing his lips up to Jeffrey's in a passionate kiss.

Jeffrey thrust in and out of Sandy. He moved his hand down to Sandy's cock, stroking him in rhythm with every perfectly angled thrust, as Sandy moaned and whimpered underneath him. He could feel him getting closer and closer with each passing second. He moved his lips off of Sandy's mouth, trailing kisses down the soft curve of his neck to his well-toned chest. He moved his tongue over Sandy's nipple before biting into it, hard enough to make him scream.

That last move was enough to push Sandy over the edge. He yelped and then screamed as he came, his body arched up against Jeffrey's, able to shout out only the first syllable of his lover's name.

Jeffrey let out a low groan as he felt Sandy's muscles contract and tighten around him. He thrust into him one last time before he too had been pushed over the edge and came into Sandy. He collapsed on top of him, panting, just trying to catch his breath.

Sandy lied underneath him, his breathing just as heavy.

After a few minutes had passed Jeffrey got up and uncuffed Sandy's hands. He threw the cuffs onto the floor and wrapped an arm around his lover. "I love you so much, Sandy…" Jeffrey whispered, still panting slightly as he pulled him closer.

Sandy rested his head on Jeffrey's chest as he nestled into his arms. "I love you too…" he whispered back.

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"That was awfully quick." Vinnie said. "How'd you get something so fast…"

"Let's just say that O'Neil's not one to be discreet…" He threw the pictures onto the desk and continued. "You want his secrets, I got 'em right here. O'Neil's a fuckin' queer…"

Vinnie looked over the pictures. "Who's the kid?" he asked, a plan already formulating in his mind.

"Sandy… something..."

"NO… I mean, who is he to O'Neil? Is he a whore? A fuck? Are they in love? What?"

"I have a feeling…"

"A feeling?" Vinnie interrupted. "What good is a feeling to me?"

"Look, boss, just go with me on this one. I have a feeling this is more than just a fuck for O'Neil… And even if it isn't… He'd still get the message if we struck here… He'd know that we know his secret. I mean, I could just kill the DA, but you instructed me not to… For reasons that aren't exactly clear…"

"ARE YOU DENSE? I'm telling you, after the hit on Eden, if O'Neil were to turn up dead, there'd be no question as to who did it. Even if we made it look like an accident, they'd find a way…"

"All right. So the question is… What now? You want me to kill the kid?"

"I don't want him dead," Vinnie said. "O'Neil will be a lot less of a problem with that kid alive. The most dangerous enemy is the man with nothing left to lose. I want you to put that kid at death's door. I need O'Neil distracted. I want you to hurt that kid in the worst possible way. Capiche?"

A cruel smile spread across the other man's face. "Capiche."


	3. Chapter 3

Sandy heard the footsteps getting nearer and nearer. Shit. This couldn't be good. He sped up his pace, just wanting to get home. But when he felt a hand grab his wrist, he had a feeling that he wouldn't. He tried to pull away, but he was just pulled harder.

"Just where do you think you're going?" The voice was unfamiliar. The mask the man was wearing, only making him appear more menacing.

"What do you want?" Sandy asked, trying to conceal the fear in his voice.

"I asked you a question…"

"I'm going home…"

"No… I don't think you are…" The man punched Sandy in the stomach before knocking him to the ground. Taking full advantage of his momentary shock, he pinned him beneath him, twisting his arm painfully behind him. "You're going nowhere faggot…"

Sandy tried to kick him, tried to pull away. Tried desperately just to move. Another man seemed to appear out of the fog. He kicked Sandy in the face before kneeling in front of him and pulling his head up painfully by his hair. "You like to suck cock, huh faggot?" He pulled a gun out of his jacket and ran the barrel over Sandy's quivering bottom lip. "Open your mouth…"

Sandy lied there almost motionless, refusing to oblige his request

The man pistol-whipped Sandy in the face. "I SAID OPEN YOUR MOUTH FAGGOT!"

"He don't want it in his mouth…" the other man started, moving his hands down to roughly pull at Sandy's jeans.

"NO!" Sandy tried desperately to pull away again, but only succeeded in getting the gun shoved into his mouth.

"That's right, suck on it! Pretend it's the DA's cock…" The man held Sandy's head like that for several minutes before finally pulling the gun out from between his lips. "Take 'em off…" he instructed the other man who did as he was told.

"NO! LET ME GO! DAMN IT!" Sandy again tried to pull away, but this time he was met with much heavier resistance. He could feel one of the men kick him repeatedly in the ribs, and tried desperately to bite back his screams.

"DO IT!" He heard one of the men say, and suddenly he could feel the gun tearing into him.

"NO! NO! NO! Please…" he tried desperately to pull away, but all he felt was the gun pushing into him deeper and deeper. He could hear the men laughing as they continued their assault on his body. "You like that, faggot? Huh?" One of them taunted, before shoving the gun into him even harder.

When the men finally stopped, Sandy was barely even conscious. He was vaguely aware of the blood dripping down his leg and then… nothing…


	4. Chapter 4

Jeffrey gasped when he read the note. "There's a surprise waiting for you on the docks…" was all that it said, but it was the small smudges of blood that worried him. He stuck the note in his pocket, grabbed his gun, and headed for the docks. When he arrived, the sight made his heart sink. He bent down to the ground, cupping the younger man's face. "Sandy…" He fought to hold back his tears. "Sandy… baby…" Sandy wasn't moving, but Jeffrey could feel his faint pulse. He moved into an awkward position to pick Sandy up off of the ground and drove him to the hospital. By the time they arrived, he was covered in Sandy's blood. A look of desperation seemed to cross his face as he carried Sandy into the ER. "I need help here…" he said to no one in particular. "Please I need help." Before he knew it, Sandy was on a hospital bed with a respirator and all sorts of tubes coming out of him. It was an awful thing to see. And Jeffrey knew that it was all his fault. This entire thing. He'd sworn that he'd never let this happen again. He'd sworn to keep Sandy safe through everything, but he had failed miserably. His heart almost stopped when he heard the code blue. He turned to realize that they had already wheeled Sandy away. The code blue was for somebody else.

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Ed walked out into the waiting room to see Jeffrey still sitting there. He was surprised that Jeffrey had stuck around. "Jeffrey…" he said. "What're you still doing here?"

Jeffrey turned to look at him. "How is he?" he asked, trying to hide the desperation in his voice. "How is Sandy?"

Ed didn't like that look on Jeffrey's face. There was something unnerving about it. It was almost as if… he actually cared… "Look Jeffrey…" he said. "I know you're the one who found him and brought him in here but… you're not family or anything so I can't really give you all the details. He's alive but…"

"I'm the DA." Jeffrey said. "When a crime is committed I get to know all of the details. That's how it works…"

Ed sighed. He knew that Jeffrey was hiding his real reasons for wanting to know, but he was completely oblivious to what they were. Well… he was the one who brought Sandy in…

"Tell me!"

"All right, you want to know all the details Jeffrey?" Ed pulled him aside to a corner and lowered his voice, his eyes shifting to survey the room as he spoke. "If you would've found him not half an hour later he probably would've bled to death. He was in surgery up 'til about ten minutes ago. Then the police came in and did a rape kit…"

"He was…" Jeffrey couldn't get the last word out, but the look on his face spoke volumes.

"DR. BAUER TO THE OR. DR. BAUER TO THE OR." The voice on the intercom interrupted their conversation.

"I gotta go…" Ed said, turning to leave, before looking back and adding. "I called Reva. She's on her way so… You can leave… Sandy will still have someone here with him…"

Jeffrey grabbed his arm. For the moment, at least, his guard was down completely. "When can I see him?" he asked, the desperation in his voice even more obvious.

Ed pulled away. "Jeffrey I… I gotta go…"

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	5. Chapter 5

From the corner of his eye Jeffrey could see Reva walking into the hospital. It looked like she was storming towards him.

"You! You had something to do with this, didn't you?" Reva could not believe the man had the gall to still be here. "I told you to stay away from Sandy! My son doesn't need your type of friendship!"

A friendship? Is that all she thought they had? For someone who was supposedly psychic, Reva sure had a bad habit of missing things. Jeffrey got up to say something, but once again, he couldn't form the words. He knew that she was right. If he had stayed away from Sandy, none of this would have ever happened.

"You're not even denying it, are you O'Neil? Tell me what my son ever did to deserve this!"

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"Did you run it through the database?" Frank asked the CSI who was working Sandy's case.

"The semen you found inside the victim didn't match anyone in the criminal database… But when I ran it through the government database I got a match." He clicked his mouse and a picture of Jeffrey O'Neil, FBI agent, came up on the screen.

"O'Neil?" Frank was completely floored (Jeffrey was FBI? And a rapist?), but within a few minutes he had managed to compose himself. "This is enough to make an arrest…" he mumbled.

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"My son is in surgery right now, fighting for his life because of you!"

Frank walked up behind Jeffrey and grabbed his arm. "Jeffrey O'Neil…" he said, snapping the cuffs onto Jeffrey's wrists. "You are under arrest for the rape and attempted murder of Sandy Foster. You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you free of charge. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"You… Did this... Yourself…" Reva could barely speak. She knew that Jeffrey was bad, but she never would have thought… Did Frank just say rape? "I will KILL you Jeffrey O'Neil!" She lunged towards him to make a grab for his throat, her eyes blazing with pure, unadulterated hate.

Frank pushed her away. "It's all right Reva. We're going to put him away for a long time."

"I didn't do this!" Jeffrey yelled.

Frank pulled on his cuffed wrists and growled. "Well we have evidence that suggests otherwise."

Evidence? What the hell? Oh. No… "No!" Jeffrey fought to pull away from him. "I didn't do this! You don't understand!"

"Save it for the interrogation room O'Neil!" And with that Frank hauled him out to the squad car.

Reva slumped into her chair and started to sob, holding her head in her hands. How could this have happened? She'd barely gotten to know her son and now she could lose him. Worst of all, she'd never been able to tell him the truth.

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"Are you going to call a lawyer, O'Neil, or do you wanna confess and try to cop a deal for yourself?"

Jeffrey looked up from his seat in the interrogation room to see Gus standing in front of him. "You're a private detective, Aiturro… not a cop. Do you want to tell me what you're doing here?"

"Well, you haven't been convicted yet, so you're technically still DA. Highest up at this police station… Interrogating the boss would pose as a conflict of interest, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, well, technically Aiturro, as long as you're in my investigation, I'm your boss too."

"Maybe… but the cops don't know that yet…"

"What, you mean they're not listening in right now?"

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Ed wrapped an arm around Reva. "You can go sit with him now. He's on a respirator. I don't know when he'll be waking up…"

Reva wiped her eyes and looked up at Ed. "Is he going to make it?"

"Reva… I think it's too early to say definitively whether…"

"Is he going to make it? Ed, just tell me!"

"I… think so."

"You think so?"

"Yes. But like I said I can't say definitively. Now come on, I'll show you to his room."

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"Come on O'Neil just confess and get it over with."

"I didn't rape Sandy!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!"

"I didn't rape Sandy!"

"I heard you the first time. You wanna try for the truth now?"

"I didn't rape Sandy!"

This guy was hopeless. "Do you wanna tell me where you were when this happened?"

"Well… nobody gave me a timeline…"

"Then how did you just happen to be on the docks in the middle of the night? How did you just happen to find him there?"

Jeffrey sighed. Momentarily considering the truth.

"You wanna do this the hard way, O'Neil? You wanna spend the night in lockup and try this again in the morning?"

"Well… according to you they're going to lock me up whether I cooperate or not…"

Frank opened the door, motioning to Gus. They mumbled something outside the doorway and Jeffrey tried to decipher it, but he could only make out a few words. "Murder… Sandy… Respirator…" Gus walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Jeffrey asked.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with…" Gus answered.

"How is he?"

"How is who?"

"SANDY!"

"What makes you think that was about Sandy?"

"Is he alive? What was that about? I heard his name…"

"What's wrong? Worried your charges are going to be upgraded to murder?"

"I need to get out of here." Jeffrey said. "I need to see him."

"I will tell you how he is doing if you tell me how you came across him."

Jeffrey swallowed nervously, contemplating… He moved his hand to pull something out of his front pocket and set it down on the table, slowly unfolding it.

"What is this?" Gus asked, examining the small piece of paper before him.

"It's… how I found him…"

Gus noticed the smudges of blood. "Who gave this to you? Where did you get this?"

"I was asleep…" Jeffrey said. "I woke up to hear somebody pounding on my door. By the time I got outside, they were gone. But they'd taped this to it…"

"I can't believe that you would actually fabricate evidence to get away with…"

"Fabricate evidence? I'm telling you this is what happened! Why won't you believe me?"

"Because… your story is bullshit!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"There's still another piece of evidence. That's how! Something that you can't just explain away!"  
"Try me Aiturro!"

"I can see you're… Formulating the lie already…"

"What do you want me to explain!?!"

"If you're so damn innocent than how did your semen get into the victim? Huh? Explain that one away why don't you!"

"I didn't rape Sandy!"

"That's not an explanation! You can't give me an explanation because you don't have one! You raped Sandy Foster and you're going to rot in prison for doing it you sick sadistic pervert!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"  
"What's wrong O'Neil? Can't handle the truth?"

"I can explain…"

"I'm waiting…"

"It was there from before…"

"Before?"

"Yesterday night… I… we…"

"Oh no… Don't even say it O'Neil… Don't even try that one on me…"

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	6. Chapter 6

"There… I've told you everything… Now tell me how he is doing…"

"I said that I would tell you how he was doing if you told me the truth."

"I did tell you the truth!"

"Oh, come on! I've heard much better lies than the ones you're pushing!"

"They're not lies."

"All right then. Give me a name. I need the name of one person. Just give me one single solitary person who can corroborate your story."

"Corroborate? Just what exactly do you mean?"

"Someone who saw you two that night…"

"Saw us? Why would anyone have seen us? What the hell is wrong with you? I don't fuck with an audience!"

"Really, O'Neil? Since when?"

"Just tell me how he's doing!"

"Tell me who knew about your… relationship…"

"As far as I know… no one…"

"So… Your story can't be corroborated. You're a fucking liar, that's what you are…"

"DAMNIT AITURRO! I NEED TO KNOW!"

"Why? Why do you need to know so badly? Huh? Really why do you care how he's doing?"

No, he would never get him to admit that.

"Damn it O'Neil tell me!"

"You wanna know, huh? You're gonna make me say it?"

What? Say what? Just pretend that you know… "Yeah, I wanna hear you say it!"

"I LOVE HIM!"

OK. Whoa. That was completely unexpected.

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As ridiculous as his story was, Jeffrey certainly sounded convincing. Gus was even almost buying it, or, at least, he was beginning to want to. "Sandy is… On a respirator… They think that he's going to survive, but at this point, they can't really be sure… And… They don't know when he's going to wake up…"

Jeffrey breathed a sigh of temporary relief.

"But even if I were to believe your story, there's still one problem."

"What is it?"

"If nobody knew about you and Sandy, then why was he targeted? Why was that note delivered to your door? And most importantly, who did it?"

"I don't know… I don't know… I don't… I don't know how anybody could've found out… I mean we were so discreet… I mean… At least I thought that we were…"

"Who would do something like this?"

"I don't know!" Jeffrey said. "I mean… When I got the note… My first thought was Solerno, but… then I thought… why didn't he just kill me… Or... at least... try to kill me…"

At the mention of the name, something seemed to click in Gus' mind. "No… That would've been too obvious…"

"What?" Jeffrey didn't quite get it, at least, not just yet.

"Killing you… It would've been too obvious. The DA gets murdered so soon after the explosion that…" Gus still felt weird saying it. "Killed my sister…"

Jeffrey wondered if he was getting somewhere, or if Gus had merely switched to good cop mode.

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Reva sat next to her son's hospital bed, just looking at him. He looked so frail and lifeless. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly; some small part of her expecting him to squeeze back. She knew that she wanted to say something to him, but she wasn't quite sure exactly where to start. She wanted him to know the truth. She wondered if maybe her lies were what led her son to hang around people like Jeffrey O'Neil. He'd probably been looking for a father figure. And who better than someone who looked exactly like his father? Or at least the man that she'd told him his father was. "Sandy…" she started. "I need you to wake up from this. Please…" It was hard for her to get the words out. "There are… things that I need to tell you and… I want you to be awake when I tell them to you…"

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"Let's just say… that… hypothetically speaking of course… I believe you…" Gus didn't know how to phrase what exactly he was trying to get at.

"Yes…" Jeffrey was growing increasingly impatient.

Frank burst the door open. "That's it Gus… I'm taking over from here. I don't care what the Attorney General says about a conflict of interest. From what's been said in here, it sounds to me like you have one too, and you're not doing a very good job questioning the suspect!"

"Why, because I think that there might actually be some truth to this? I'm doing this interrogation, Frank, not you! Now, get out and let me finish my job!"

"It's my job! And my police department!"

Amidst all of the commotion, Jeffrey got up out of his chair and quietly headed for the door.

"Get back here O'Neil!" Gus turned and grabbed him.

Damn! It was like the man had eyes in the back of his head. Jeffrey sat back down and looked between Gus and Frank. "You both know that you don't have enough to hold me. I've told you everything, now just let me go!"

"You've told us nothing!" Frank bellowed. "Now you are going to sit back in that chair and tell us the truth!"

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	7. Chapter 7

Ed walked through the door to see Reva sitting by Sandy's bed.

She didn't even seem to notice him at first.

"Just came in to check up on him…" Ed said, looking over at the machine's readings on his heart rate.

Reva looked up, finally noticing him when he spoke.

"He seems to be pulling through…" Ed said.

"He's going to wake up right?" Reva asked, the look on her face completely desperate to hear his answer.

Ed sighed. "Like I said, Reva, I can't be sure of anything…"

"But… he can't just stay like this forever…"

"There is a good chance…"

"I know… I know…"

"Just… talk to him, Reva. It's vital for him to have the people who care about him here by his side."

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Gus took the note and handed it to Frank. "I want you to have this dusted for prints." He said.

"Oh, please Gus. The only print's you're going to find on that are O'Neil's and your own."

Gus ignored Frank's protests. "I want you to have the blood on the note tested against Sandy's."

"Don't tell me you actually believe this guy's story."

"I want you to go back over the rape kit. I need you to make sure that there are no signs of latex, lambskin, or any other materials the perpetrator could've used to keep his own DNA from ending up inside of him. I also need you to make sure that a foreign object wasn't used…"

"All of this is only going to confirm that he did it."

"Good… and if it does, you can re-arrest him. Because the evidence that you have now isn't enough to hold him on. All that you have is his semen, and anyone with half-a-brain and a law degree is going to be able to rip this case to shreds… I'm releasing the suspect pending further investigation…"

"You can't do this!"

"The Attorney General put me in charge of this case! I'm going to make sure this is done right. I want you to get a CSI team out onto the docks. I'm going to the Beacon to dust for prints myself…"

"I'm calling the Attorney General first thing in the morning, Gus. You can bet that he's going to throw you off of this case so fast…"

"And until then you are going to follow MY orders!"

Franked stormed out of the interrogation room.

Jeffrey looked up from where he was sitting. "You know Aiturro, if I didn't know better… I'd say that you actually believed my story…"

"Don't even think about trying to leave the country, O'Neil. I'm not releasing you because I believe you. I'm releasing you because they didn't have enough evidence to arrest you in the first place…"

"Then, shouldn't you have released me the moment that you got here?"

"It was enough to bring you in for questioning…"

Jeffrey got out of the chair and headed for the door.

"O'Neil!"

"What?" Jeffrey responded, turning back to face Gus.

"If I find out that you did do this… I will not hesitate to put you away for good."

"That's nice, Aiturro. Can I go now?"

"Go. Go before I change my mind…"

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	8. Chapter 8

Jeffrey walked into the hospital still covered in Sandy's blood. He hadn't bothered to go home and change or shower because the only thing on his mind right now was Sandy. He had to see him. He had to see him now. He walked into the waiting room, just realizing that he'd never been told what room Sandy was in or anything. He looked around for a few seconds before recognizing the doctor. "Ed…"

Ed turned to look at Jeffery. What was he doing back here? "Jeffrey, what are you doing back here?"

"I need to see him, please, tell me what room he is in…"

"Like I said earlier you're not family…"

"Please…"

There was that look again. Just what exactly did that look mean? "He's in ICU room 239…"

Jeffrey looked confused for a moment.

"Go straight and make a left…"

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"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! GET AWAY FROM MY SON YOU SICK FREAK!" Reva jumped up out of the chair to growl at Jeffrey.

"Is he OK?" Jeffrey walked into the room, completely disregarding her instructions.

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT? NO HE IS NOT OK BECAUSE YOU RAPED HIM! AND YOU BEAT HIM! AND YOU…"

"I never hurt Sandy!"

"GET OUT! GET OUT! JUST GET OUT!"

"I need to see him…"

"You should be in jail!" She lunged toward him and made a grab for his throat, but he managed to grab her arm and push her away.

"Reva, I don't think that you understand the situation."

"What is there to understand? My son got close to you. He trusted you. And when he didn't want what you wanted you forced it on him and almost killed him!"

"No, Reva. No."

"What are you doing here, Jeffrey? If the police let you go, then why don't you leave the country? Just go, Jeffrey just leave! Just stay away from my son!"

"I love your son."

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! He never should've trusted you!"

"But he does trust me, Reva. Which is a helluva lot more than I can say for you…"

"How dare you, Jeffrey O'Neil! How dare you do this to my son and then come in here and accuse me…"

"Oh come on, Reva. All you've done since he came to town is lie to him!"

No! How could he possibly know… "DAMN YOU JEFFREY O'NEIL! GET OUT OF MY SON'S ROOM RIGHT NOW OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU ARE HARASSING HIM!!!"

The sound of the monitors shocked them both into a temporary silence.

Ed and two other physician's rushed over to Sandy's bedside. "Get out! Right now! Both of you!" Ed shouted. The doctors shut the door and Jeffrey and Reva were left in the hallway together. They glared at each other, but they were both too shocked, or too scared, to say anything.

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	9. Chapter 9

When the doctor's finally left the room, Ed was the one left to explain. He shut the door to Sandy's room, stepping out into the hallway.

Jeffrey and Reva both looked over to him.

"What happened?" Reva asked.

"How is he?" Jeffrey questioned.

"What happened…" Ed said. "Is that his blood pressure and heart rate both went dangerously high… We managed to stabilize him, but…"

"But what?" Jeffrey and Reva seemed to interrupt him almost simultaneously.

"I think it was brought about by the two of you. You both profess to love him so much, yet neither one of you seem to have his well-being in mind… When you're standing in there having a yelling match so loud that the people visiting in the rooms across the hall are complaining…"

"He raped my son!" Reva interrupted, only just now realizing that Jeffrey had snuck back into her son's room. "Sneaky bastard…" she turned to follow when Ed grabbed her arm.

"Reva… wait?"

"What?" She said. "Jesus, Ed, what is it that's so damn important!"

"I um… I don't think that he did it…"

"How dare you! I didn't ask for your opinion! And why the hell do you even get to have one?"

"Reva, you didn't see Jeffrey when he brought him in here. You didn't see the look on his face. You didn't see how scared… How desperate…"

"SINCE WHEN DO YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT JEFFREY O'NEIL?"

"I don't! Reva, I don't! But I give a damn about my patient. I mean, did it ever occur to you that maybe Sandy wants him by his bedside?"

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Jeffrey shut the door as quietly as he could and sat down by Sandy's bed. "Sandy… baby… it's me… I'm here…" he whispered. "I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry about all of this. I swore to myself that I would keep you safe… And now… You're just… You're here…" He grasped Sandy's hand in his own. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry…" He placed a soft kiss on the back of Sandy's hand, the tears that he didn't even realize he was crying falling down onto the soft skin. "Baby… I swear to you… I'm going to get whoever… Whoever did this to you I'm going to get them…" He squeezed Sandy's hand before continuing. "You can't leave me… You can't leave me, all right… Sandy please… Baby… Please just come back to me… Please…"

Sandy's eyes slowly fluttered open.

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"And what if he doesn't, Ed? What if he raped my son, and tried to kill him and is in there right now trying to finish the job? What if he unplugs the machines?"

"Reva, calm down…"

"I won't calm down!" Reva was so tired. So tired of explaining. She headed back to Sandy's hospital room and swung the door open.

Ed chased after her.

"Sandy!?!" Reva was surprised to see her son's eyes open. "Oh my God, Sandy…"

"Sandy…" Ed said. "Please don't try to say anything… There's a tube down your throat to help you breathe…"

Sandy limply squeezed Jeffrey's hand in reply.

"This means he's going to be OK? Right?" Jeffrey asked, only momentarily taking his eyes off of Sandy to look up at Ed.

"Well.. this is definitely progress…" Ed replied. "I'll need to examine him again…"

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	10. Chapter 10

Cassie looked over to see Gus dusting for prints at Jeffrey's room door. "Gus…" she said. "What are you doing? What is going on here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he said, not wanting to be bothered.

"Did something happen here? If a crime was committed in my hotel, then I have a right to know…" Cassie placed her hands on her hips and stared at him.

Gus sighed. "Cassie, did you notice anyone strange coming in or out of this place earlier tonight?"

"No…" Cassie answered. "Why, Gus? What is going on?"

"You didn't notice somebody… Maybe with some blood on his clothes?"

"NO!"

"You ever see Sandy Foster come in or out of this room?"

"Gus, just what exactly are you getting at? Did Jeffrey do something to Sandy?"

"Cassie, just answer the question…"

"He was here last night… But I only saw him in passing. I don't know if he went in there or not…"

"Why did you ask me if Jeffrey did something to Sandy? Do you have reason to believe that he would?"

"No… But you're here dusting Jeffrey's door for prints and asking all sorts of weird, nonsensical questions about Sandy and strange men with blood on their clothes… Gus, tell me what is going on!"

"An investigation…"

"Into what? Is Sandy all right?"

"Your nephew is in the hospital…" Gus said.

"WHAT? And Jeffrey had something to do with it?"

"Cassie, could you open the door for me?"

"Tell me what happened to Sandy!"

"Open the door."

Cassie took out her key and opened the door for Gus. "Just what exactly are you looking for in there?"

"I'll know when I find it…" Gus answered, stepping inside.

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"I take it the job is done…" Vinnie said, looking up to see his lackey walking through the door.

"Yes boss…" the man replied. "And… done well… I might add..."

Vinnie raised an eyebrow. "Good…" he said. "Now we just sit back and wait for O'Neil to destroy himself. No doubt he is going to come gunning after me. And then when I kill him… Of course it will be in self-defense…"

"Of course…"

Vinnie got out of his chair and poured two drinks, raising his glass. "To a job well done…" he said.

"To a job well done…" his lackey replied.

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"Who are these people?" Cassie asked, when the CSI team moved in.

"Cassie…" Gus replied. "You don't need to be here right now…"

Cassie's eyes narrowed. "You still haven't told me what happened to Sandy…"

"Why don't you call your sister… I'm sure she can fill you in on his condition…"

"Fine then…" Cassie said, turning to leave.

"Cassie… wait…" Gus said.

"WHAT?"

"Do you know how often these sheets are changed?"

"Whenever a new guest comes in, obviously, the sheets are washed… For long term guests the sheets are washed every Friday unless they specify otherwise…"

"So… These are the same sheets that were here last night?"

"Yes…" Cassie replied. "Unless he changed them himself…"

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	11. Chapter 11

"So, what did you find on those sheets?" Gus asked, looking over at the CSI.

"There were two different types of semen." She said. "One matches the semen found in the victim, and the other matches the victim."

"So, you can place the victim in that bed?"

"Yes, his hairs were also found on those sheets… There were no signs of blood, though. There is no way those were there from the rape. There would've been some blood there. I also found some residual lubricant… Rapists don't usually take the time…"

"Yeah… I know… So you're saying these sheets prove the victim was in that bed, engaged in sexual activity unrelated to the rape?"

"That's what I'm saying…"

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"I think that he is strong enough for me to take out the respirator." Ed said, looking between Jeffrey and Reva. "But he is not completely out of the woods yet. I don't need the two of you compounding his stress levels…"

Jeffrey glanced at Sandy's room door. He didn't understand why Ed had pulled them out of there so soon after Sandy had finally awoken. He wasn't really even paying attention to what Ed was saying. "Does he really need to be in there alone right now?" he interrupted.

"I am going to take out his respirator." Ed replied. "I suggest that the two of you figure out some way to get along… For Sandy's sake… Or else I am going to have to ask one of you to leave…"

"I am his mother!" Reva interrupted.

"I am aware of that fact…" Ed said. "I would have to ask you, Jeffrey, to leave, but…"

"Good!" Reva interrupted once more. "Make him leave!"

"But…" Ed continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I think it would be better for Sandy if he had both of you here with him… At least, for now…"

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"So, you still think O'Neil did this?" Gus said, dropping the papers on Frank's desk.

"What is this?" Frank asked.

"Proof…" Gus answered.

Frank looked over the papers. "This proves nothing, Gus."

"It proves that Sandy…"

"Yeah… I know what it says. Still it proves nothing. For all you know Sandy dumped him after that night and this whole thing was Jeffrey's revenge…"

"Why are you so out to get O'Neil?"

"WHY ARE YOU SO OUT TO PROTECT HIM?" Frank stood, bellowing at him.

"I'm not!" Gus said. "I'm out to get the truth!"

"The truth, Gus, you've never been about the truth! You are always working some sort of agenda… You can bet that when I find out what it is…"

"Enough of your empty threats. I thought you were going to have me thrown off of this case…"

"I never got around to ca…"

"Calling the Attorney General?" Gus said. "You did call him, and I'll bet that he laughed you off of the phone…"

The look on Frank's face seemed to grow more irate with every word that Gus spoke. "THIS IS MY POLICE DEPARTMENT!" he bellowed.

"Oh… I see how it is…" Gus said. "This is about the undercover case isn't it? You're upset that the FBI didn't trust your police department to handle it. And so you're out to get Jeffrey because of it. And then you think that this case has fallen into your lap… And the Attorney General puts me in charge of the investigation… And so now you hate me too…"

"All that these papers prove is what kind of person O'Neil is…" Frank answered. "And now that I know… I'm just beginning to wonder if maybe the two of you have grown close, a lot closer than either of you would let on, while working that undercover case. I know how tedious stakeouts can be. When it's just you and that one other person alone in a surveillance van… And maybe that's why you're so hell-bent on keeping O'Neil out of prison."

If the look on Frank's face hadn't been so serious, Gus would've laughed. "Frank…" he said. "I think that you may have just finally lost your mind…"

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Now that Sandy had woken up, Reva had begun to soften. "Go home, Jeffrey…" she said.

"You're not going to get me to leave hi…"

"Do you think that my son wants to look up and see you covered in his blood. Go home, Jeffrey, get a shower, change… You look awful…"

"So that you can have armed guards outside of the door by the time that I get back? I don't think so…"

"I am asking you for some time alone with my son. I am asking that you have the common decency of not making him relive his horror by sitting there covered in his blood…"

"All right…" Jeffrey said "But I'm coming right back. And when I do… I want some time alone with him…."

"Fine…"

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	12. Chapter 12

"Oh my God Jeffrey, what happened to you?" Cassie screeched, standing in front of him.

Oh no. Not her. Not this. Not now. "Cassie, I really, really don't have time for this right now." Jeffrey said, pushing his way past her.

"The police were searching your room… What is going on?"

"Cassie, I said I don't have time!" And with that he shut the door in her face.

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"Oh no. Did he…" Reva walked backed into the room.

"He's asleep." Ed said, glancing around. "Where's Jeffrey?"

"He went home to clean himself up. I'm sure he'll be back here long before he should be…" She looked down at her son, he still looked awful, but at least the respirator was gone. One less machine…

"You look exhausted." Ed said.

"I am…" Reva replied.

"Maybe you should get some sleep…"

"I want to be here with my son." Reva said. "Anyway, I promised Jeffrey that when he got back he could have some time alone with Sandy… I can get some sleep then…"

Ed raised an eyebrow, instantly curious. Had he heard her right?

"What?" Reva said. "What is that look for?"

"Nothing…" Ed said before leaving the room.

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Jeffrey looked around his suite. The place was in shreds. CSI teams weren't very considerate. And hotel staff hadn't bothered to give him new sheets. He'd have to complain about that another day.

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"Look, man I'm in the middle of an investigation right now. So whatever this is that you want with me, can it just wait?" 

"Mr. Aituro." The man replied. "I don't believe that you know who I am. If you did, then you most certainly wouldn't be talking to me this way."

Gus looked more annoyed than incensed. "All right then, well, who the hell are you?"

"I'm an Assistant Director at the FBI…"

Shit. "And what do you want with me?"

"I need to know why you exposed our undercover operation to the local police. We did so much to keep this thing under wraps. We even had the Attorney General put you on the Foster case to ensure that Agent O'Neil wouldn't be exposed. And now you've got the local yokels…"

"Hey…" Gus said. "Agent O'Neil is the one who talked about the undercover operation when he knew that the police were standing on the other side of the two-way mirror. All right, I did nothing wrong here. All I did was question the suspect... And your department should know better than to keep undercover agents in the registry that any CSI can just look up with the click of a mouse…"

"How many of the local officers know?"

"The CSI team knows… And Officer Cooper…"

"Can we trust them to keep this thing hidden…"

"I… honestly… don't know. I suppose you should talk to them."

"Do you know where Agent O'Neil is? I've been trying his phone all morning. He is never without that thing…"

"Well… if his declarations of love meant anything more than bullshit, you'll probably find him at the hospital…"

"If his undercover status gets out into the general public, we will have to boot him from this operation. And I don't think that we can afford to do that. We've been working this case much too long…"

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	13. Chapter 13

Jeffrey stumbled out of the shower to the sound of his cell phone ringing. By the time he got to it, the ringing had stopped. He called his voice-mail, afraid that the call may have been from the hospital. "You have four messages…"

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"We went over the rape kit again…" the young CSI looked up at Gus as he spoke.

"And?" Gus said.

"There were no signs of latex… lambskin… or anything else that the perpetrator would've used if he had penetrated the victim… however…"

"However?"

"I found a small amount of residual gunpowder…"

"Gunpowder?"

"It appears that the victim was sodomized with the barrel of a gun. A gun that had been recently fired."

"Recently, meaning…"

"Probably in the last few days…"

"Is there any way for you to be able to tell what type of gun was used?"

"No, there is really no way to determine that…"

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"Where the fuck are you O'Neil? We need to discuss your assignment. I heard all about that little information leak. I hope that you and Aituro have managed to get it contained by now… I don't want to have to kick you off of this case… Would you please call me? Jesus Christ, O'Neil… You better have a damn good excuse for not picking up this phone…" Jeffrey sighed as he hung up his phone. All four messages were basically the same. But he didn't really have time for his boss right now. He needed to get back to the hospital. He needed to get back to Sandy. Of course, first he needed to get dressed.

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As she watched her son sleep, Reva couldn't help but think about the things that Jeffrey had said. If her son really was in love with him… Sandy must've known all along that Richard wasn't his father. But how could he have found out?

Sandy groaned slightly as he awoke.

Reva looked into his eyes, worried. "How are you feeling?" she asked, before realizing that it was a stupid question.

"Hurts…" Sandy mumbled, not able to say much.

"Do you want me to tell Ed to up your morphine drip?" Reva asked, hating to see her son in pain.

His eyes darted around the room as if he was looking for something, or someone. "Jeff…" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"He'll be back soon…" Reva answered.

Sandy groaned again as he tried to sit up in the bed.

"Do you want me to tell Ed to up your morphine?" she asked again.

Sandy nodded slightly.

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Jeffrey was halfway through buttoning up his shirt when he heard the knock on the door. He ran to the door and opened it.

"Damn it O'Neil why aren't you answering my calls? I've been calling you all morning." The man pushed his way past Jeffrey, walking into the suite.

"I'm kind of busy right now…," Jeffrey said.

"Well, whatever it is…" the Assistant director replied. "I'm sure that it can wait…"

"I need a few days off…" Jeffrey said.

"No! Absolutely not! We need you to get back on this operation right away."

"What the hell do you expect me to do right now? You already know that they are making the drop off next week. Just give me a break, all right, I have more pressing issues to take care of right now…"

"More important than catching the men responsible for what happened last night?"

"I have to get back to the hospital!"

"No, O'Neil, you don't! Just what exactly do you think that you can do for him there, huh? That's right, absolutely nothing! You're not a doctor, you're an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation!"

"Yeah… Thanks… I know what I do for a living. All right… Now I gotta go!"

"Are you defying my orders?"

"And what if I am?"

"You're really willing to risk your job for this kid?"

"He's not a kid!"

"Don't bother me with the semantics, O'Neil! We need you on this case!"

"Why can't Aituro handle it, huh? Just for today?"

"Aituro is busy trying to prove your innocence! If you hadn't been screwing around with some kid…"

"I'm leaving…" Jeffery said. "I'll handle the case when the drop off is made…"

"O'Neil, we need to make sure this goes down right!"

Jeffrey pushed his boss aside, in an attempt to move past him, but the Assistant Director quickly turned the tables, pushing Jeffrey against the wall.

"Listen to me O'Neil! You are my best agent and I can't afford to lose you right now! Do you understand me?"

"I almost lost him!" Jeffrey said. "Do you have any idea what that is like? Do you have any idea at all? I almost lost him! He is lying in a hospital bed… He almost died because of me! He almost died because of this stupid case!"

"You cannot drop this case because of some kid!"

"Drop this case? You think that I want to drop this case!?! No, I am going to work this case, all right! I am going to see that the men responsible for this are put away for good! I just need today! Please, just give me today!"

"All right… All right…" the man sighed, tired of trying to argue this. "You… go to the hospital… See the kid… Do whatever you need to do… I'll have Terrier do the surveillance for today… But O'Neil… You need to be there tomorrow. You are the one running this case. You are the one that needs to take care of this…"

"Fine." Jeffrey said. "Tomorrow…"

The Assistant Director loosed Jeffrey from his grip. "We're going to get them…" he said. "If you stay on this… We're going to get them…"

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	14. Chapter 14

The morphine just seemed to put Sandy right back to sleep.

"How long is he going to be hurting like this?" Reva asked, looking up at Ed.

"It is probably going to be a long recovery." Ed said. "He has several broken ribs…"

Jeffrey walked into the room.

Ed and Reva both glanced at him awkwardly.

"Is he doing any better?" Jeffrey asked, looking back and forth between them.

"Not much…" Ed said before turning back to Reva. "If he needs more just press the call button. He should be out for awhile…"

"OK." Reva said.

Ed walked out of the room.

Jeffrey moved closer to Sandy's bedside.

Reva was still giving him that awkward glance.

"What?" Jeffrey said.

"Do you always walk around like that?" Reva asked.

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"Ed…" Gus said, walking up behind him.

"Huh?" Ed answered.

"I heard that Sandy Foster woke up…"

"Yeah…" Ed replied. "And…"

"I need to take his statement…"

"Well… he's asleep right now. And he probably will be for awhile. And even if he wasn't… He doesn't need that kind of stress right now…"

"So when do you think…"

"I don't know…" Ed said.

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"Officer Cooper?" the man asked, walking into the police department.

"Who's asking?" Frank replied.

"I'm an Assistant Director at the FBI…"

"Yes, I'm Officer Cooper… What do you need?"

"I need to talk to you in private…"

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"Huh?" Jeffrey said, completely clueless.

"Never mind…" Reva answered. "He was asking for you…"

"I knew I shouldn't have left him…"

"How long do you plan on being here?" Reva asked.

"As long as I need to be…"

"Why did this happen?"

Jeffrey just looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"Is my son still in danger?"

"I'm going to get the men who did this…"

"You know who did this, don't you? And you know why…"

"Reva, you don't need to know…"

"I need to know that my son is safe… I need to keep him safe…"

"I will protect him…"

"YOU COULDN'T PROTECT HIM!"

Jeffrey sighed, she was right. "Look… Obviously the two of us can't be in the same room as each other without arguing…"

"I want answers… I need answers…"

"You said you would go…" Jeffrey said. "You said that you would leave…"

Reva sighed. She had said that, hadn't she? "If anything changes at all… You tell Ed to call me."

"I will…" Jeffrey said.

"I'll be back to see him later…"

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"So, what was so important that it couldn't be said out there?" Frank asked.

"I need to know who you've told of Agent O'Neil's undercover status…"

"Well… the CSI team knows…"

"How many people are we talking?"

"Five… and that's if they haven't told anybody…"

"You do understand that this cannot get out?"

"Look… I've kept the secret… I've been sworn to uphold the law, and even if that includes protecting the undercover status of a rapist…"

"He didn't do it…"

Frank rolled his eyes. "You've got my word all right… I'll tell no one of his undercover status even as I work to put him behind bars."

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Jeffrey sat in the chair next to Sandy's bed as he watched Reva walk out the door. He grabbed Sandy's hand as his gaze moved back down to him. "It's probably better for you if you're asleep…" Jeffrey said. "I'm sorry…" he said. "I really don't deserve you, you know…" He leaned back in the chair. "You know that I will be here with you… As long as you want me to be…"

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"Well… could you just give me a call… when you think that he's strong enough…"

"Yes, Gus, I will let you know…"

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	15. Chapter 15

Reva pulled her car up into the driveway. Stepping into her house, the place was quiet. Much too quiet. When had her life become so lonely? With Marah in Paris… Shayne in L.A… And stupid Josh… No, she wouldn't think about him right now. Sandy was really all that she had left. And now… Reva sighed as she locked the door. She needed to sleep. She just needed to get some sleep.

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"Why are you and Jeffrey suddenly off of the Salerno case?" Harley asked, looking over at Gus who had just walked through the door.

"We're not off of the case…" Gus answered.

"Than why did some Assistant Director of the FBI call me and tell me that I have to do surveillance today… And all alone…"

"I've been assigned to a more urgent matter…"

"And Jeffrey?" she asked.

"It's a long story…"

"I have time…" Harley said. "I'm not due for surveillance for another…" She glanced at her watch. "45 minutes…"

"Believe me on this one, babe…" Gus said. "You don't wanna know…"

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Jeffrey was half-asleep in the chair by Sandy's bed, still gripping Sandy's hand in his own, when Sandy stirred awake.

"Sandy…" Jeffrey mumbled, realizing that he'd been about to doze off.

Sandy forced a half-smile through his pain. "You… wear it… like that… just… for me…" he said.

Jeffrey looked down to realize that he'd never finished buttoning his shirt. "Yeah…" he said, smiling slightly. "Just for you baby…"

Sandy tried to sit up again, but just like earlier, it only caused him to groan in pain.

"You want me to get the doctor?" Jeffrey asked, suddenly worried.

Sandy shook his head no.

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It seemed like he had been running interference all day long, and still he had more to do. The Assistant Director looked over the five people standing in front of him and spoke. "You are all on the CSI team from the Foster case?"

"Yes…" the oldest one spoke up.

"There is something that you all need to understand. It is absolutely vital that you not discuss Agent O'Neil's undercover status with anyone… Except for Cooper and Aituro…"

"But, what about the cops?" another asked.

"Have you told?" the Assistant Director asked, instantly worried.

"No… but…"

"Then don't…" he replied. "Nobody else on the police force needs to know about this…"

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"Are you sure?" Jeffrey asked.

"Tired… of sleeping…" Sandy said.

Jeffrey sighed, just looking into his eyes. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here earlier…" Jeffrey said.

"You… OK?" Sandy asked.

Jeffrey didn't really understand the question. "Yes… Of course…" he said. "You're the one in the hospital bed…"

"They… mentioned you…" Sandy said. "I was… afraid…"

"What?" Jeffrey said. "Who mentioned me?"

"The men…" Sandy said. "The men… who…" Sandy looked up into Jeffrey's eyes as tears came to his own.

"Shh…" Jeffrey said. "It's OK, baby… I'm right here. They can't hurt you any more… You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, OK… Just rest…"

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	16. Chapter 16

Jeffrey had never been one too eager to show his emotions. But seeing Sandy like this was getting to him. He felt more anger than anything else. Anger at himself for letting this happen. Anger at the people who did it. At least Sandy had fallen back to sleep. When he was asleep Jeffrey didn't have to see him in pain. As he watched Sandy sleeping the thought crossed his mind that maybe it was time for him to resign from being an agent. Maybe after this case was over he could just… find something else to do… He was seriously beginning to question whether putting the bad guys away was worth the steep price.

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__

"What are you doing here?" Reva asked. "Richard is going to see you…"

"Richard isn't here right now…" a mischievous smile crept across the man's face.

"He is going to be back soon..." Reva said.

"Well then…" the man replied. "I guess that we're just going to have to make it quick…"

Reva smiled as she waltzed over to him. "I guess so…" she said, inching closer to him.

The man took Reva into his arms and brought his lips down to meet hers in a passionate kiss. He ran his hands slowly down her body…

Reva almost jumped awake when she heard the phone ring. "Hello…" she said, after picking it up.

"Reva…" Cassie said.

"Cassie?" Reva said. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's almost six in the evening…" Cassie answered.

Reva glanced up at the clock "What is it?" Reva asked.

"I wanted to know how Sandy is doing…" Cassie said. "Gus was at the Beacon last night dusting for prints and asking all sorts of weird questions… He said that Sandy was in the hospital, but he wouldn't give me any details…"

"He's hurt pretty bad…" Reva said.

"You left him there alone?" Cassie asked.

"No…" Reva said. "He has someone there with him…"

"What happened to him?" Cassie asked.

Reva sighed. "A lot…" she said.

"Did Jeffrey have something to do with it?" Cassie asked. "Gus had a CSI team searching his room…. And this morning he showed up covered in blood…"

"He found Sandy…" Reva said.

"Oh…" Cassie said. "So he saved him?"

"I wouldn't call it that…" Reva said. "I think that Jeffrey is the one who set this into motion in the first place…"

"What exactly do you mean?" Cassie asked. "Are you saying that he's the one who hurt Sandy?"

"No…" Reva said. "I'm saying that… I think that whoever did this was trying to get at Jeffrey…"

Cassie was confused. "I know that you said you were worried about your son hanging around Jeffrey O'Neil…" Cassie said. "But for him to be targeted… Just how close are they?"

"Too close…" Reva answered. "Much, much too close…"

"Reva, you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting… I mean… I … I always suspected that Sandy was… but… Jeffrey looks exactly like Richard… so… they couldn't be…"

"Cassie… I… Umm… I have to go…"

"Reva… wait… you can't…"

"Bye Cassie." Reva hung up the phone. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to keep this secret from anyone. Or how much longer she'd want to.

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	17. Chapter 17

"Rumor has it O'Neil's got cops workin' the festival…"

Vinnie looked up from his desk. "Rumors from who?"

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Harley took another sip from her water bottle before checking the machine again, to make sure that it was recording the conversation on which she was listening in.

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"I've talked with our supplier… and he agrees that we should do the drop off tonight…"

"I guess it is better to do this with O'Neil still distracted."

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After listening intently to the entire conversation, Harley whipped out her cell phone and dialed the AD's number.

"Hello?"

"Their plans have changed…" Harley said.

"Terrier?" he said. "Just what exactly do you mean by that?"

"They found out about the bust we were going to pull at the festival. They're moving the drop off to tonight… It's going down in less than six hours…"

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely certain?"

"I know what I heard..." Harley answered. "And I've got it on tape…"

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"I need to know what room Sandy Foster is in…"

"And just who are you?" Ed asked, not recognizing the man who was standing in front of him.

"I need to speak to Jeffrey O'Neil…" the Assistant Director replied. "He is in there with him, isn't he?"

"What business do you have with Jeffrey O'Neil?"

The man flashed Ed his badge. "My business…" he answered. "Is none of yours…"

"ICU room 239… Go straight and make a left…"

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Jeffrey looked up when heard footsteps coming towards the door. "What are you doing here?" Jeffrey asked.

"There's been a change of plans…" the man answered. "I need you tonight…"

Jeffrey got out of the chair, stepping closer to his boss. "You said that I could have today!"

"Yeah… well… that was before I got the new information…"

"What new information?"

"They're doing the drop off tonight."

"What? I thought they weren't doing it 'til next week… At the festival…"

"Well… apparently there's been a change of plans…"

"Why?"

"Somehow they found out that we were going to be working the festival…"

"All right… well… when is this all going down?"

The Assistant Director glanced at his watch. "In less than five hours…"

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"Gus?" Harley spoke into the phone.

"Yeah…" Gus answered.

"Where are you?"

"I'm… investigating…"

"Yeah… well… I think that your more urgent matter just became a lot less urgent…"

"What do you mean, babe?"

"The drop off is happening tonight…"

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Jeffrey looked over at Sandy and sighed.

"O'Neil… We have to get going…"

"All right… just… give me a few minutes…"

"You've got five…" the Assistant Director replied before walking out the door, shutting it behind him.

Jeffrey moved over to Sandy's bedside, sitting back down in the chair. "I'm going to be back as soon as I can…" he whispered to him, even though he was still asleep. "I'm going to get the men who did this to you, that's why I have to go…" he traced his hand down the side of Sandy's face before pressing a soft kiss onto his closed mouth. "They're never going to hurt you again…" He got up out of the chair and headed for the door.

"Jeff…" Sandy's voice was barely above a whisper.

Jeffrey turned back around. Just when exactly had he woken back up? "I'm right here baby…"

"You… leaving?" he asked.

"I have something really important to take care of…"

Sandy nodded slightly. "Tell… doctor… need… drugs." Sandy said.

"All right…" Jeffrey said. "I will… And I promise you that I will be back as soon as I can…"

"K…" Sandy nodded again.

"All right… I'm gonna get going…"

"Love… you… Jeff…" Sandy said.

"I love you too…" Jeffrey answered.

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"Tonight?" Gus said. "When tonight?"

"Less than five hours…" Harley answered. "So whatever you're investigating right now… I think that it can wait…"

"Are you sure about this?"

"The Assistant Director wants you back on this case…"

"Oh?" Gus said. "All right… Have you talked to O'Neil yet?"

"The AD is taking care of that…"

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"Ed…"

Ed spun around to see Jeffrey. "What is it?" he asked.

"Sandy… wants more drugs…" Jeffrey answered.

"All right..." Ed replied. "I'll get on that…"

"Come on O'Neil…" the Assistant Director interrupted.

"You're leaving?" Ed asked.

"There's… somewhere that I need to be…" Jeffrey answered. "Could you call Reva and tell her to get back here?"

"Sure…" Ed said.

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	18. Chapter 18

Reva stared at the picture she held in her hand. Why had she been dreaming of him all of a sudden? Oh, well… that really wasn't important right now. Not with everything else that was going on. And still it bothered her. Just how much did Jeffrey know? Just how much did Sandy know? She wondered if maybe Sandy would want to see the picture, but she decided against bringing it to him. He didn't need this right now. He needed to focus on getting better, and nothing else. Anything else could wait. The truth... could wait.

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"So where is this going down?" Jeffrey asked.

Harley shook her head. "I don't understand it…" she said. "He's doing it right on his home turf…"

"What?" Jeffrey asked, not quite believing that he would be so stupid. "Terrier, are you sure?"

"That's what he said…" Harley answered.

Gus looked between them. "And what if this is all a setup?"

"What do you mean?" Harley asked.

"What if… What if he somehow found out that we were listening in on him…" Gus said. "What if this is some sort of death trap?"

"And what if it isn't?" Jeffrey said. "I am not going to pass up the chance to put this guy behind bars..."

"I think that this case has gotten a little too personal for you, O'Neil…" Gus said. "You can't even be sure that he's the one that did it…"

"Did what?" Harley asked, suddenly feeling completely out of the loop.

"Are you questioning my ability to do this job, Aituro?" Jeffrey asked. "If anything, this only makes me more apt at doing my job…"

"That's the problem…" Gus said. "You'll only be thinking about revenge… You won't be thinking straight…"

"Revenge for what?" Harley asked.

"Enough of your bickering!!!" the AD said. "O'Neil is the lead agent on this case, and it is too late to change that." He turned his gaze from Gus to Jeffrey. "Now we are going to pull off this bust and we are going to do it right!"

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Ed walked into Sandy's room.

Sandy looked up at him. "Drugs…" Sandy said.

"I'm getting on that…" Ed said, moving over to Sandy's IV. "How are you feeling?" The question seemed stupid, but necessary.

"Hurts…" Sandy said.

"You're still breathing all right?"

"You're… doctor…" Sandy responded. "You... tell me…"

Ed sighed. "Do you feel up to talking at all?" he asked.

"Why?" Sandy questioned.

"Police were here earlier…" Ed said. "They want to know when they can take your statement…"

"Don't…" Sandy said. "Don't… want… cops…"

"All right…" Ed said. "Just tell me when you're feeling up to it…"

"Never.." Sandy mumbled.

"What?" Ed said. "Why not?"

Sandy was beginning to feel sleepy again. "Don't… like… cops…" he said. "Don't… trust… cops…"

"Jeffrey is kind of like a cop…" Ed said. "I mean, he puts the bad guys away…"

"No…" Sandy said. "Jeff's… attorney…"

Ed watched Sandy doze back off and tried to mentally put the pieces together. He wondered if maybe a cop had done this to Sandy, and this was simply his way of telling him. Not that it was any of his business. He was just supposed to treat his injuries, not put away his tormentors…

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Reva sighed as she stuck the picture back in the box; the same small box that she had kept it in for so long. She heard the phone ring again and she rolled her eyes. She walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Cassie, I said that I had to go…" She didn't realize quite how much time had elapsed since she'd spoken to her sister. She didn't realize just quite how long she had been sitting there staring at that picture.

"Umm… Reva, it's me…" Ed said.

"Ed!" Reva said. "Oh my God, is my son OK?"

"I suppose…" Ed said. "That he is doing as well as can be expected, given his situation…"

Reva breathed a sigh of relief. "Well… then… what is it?"

"Believe it or not…" Ed said. "Jeffrey O'Neil told me to tell you to get down here…"

"Is he gone?" Reva asked.

"Yes…" Ed said. "He said that there was somewhere else he needed to be…"

"I'll be down there soon…" Reva said. "Is my son awake?"

"He was…" Ed said. "He is very sensitive to the morphine, though… It seems to put him right to sleep…"

"Well…" Reva sighed. "I suppose it is better for him that way…"

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	19. Chapter 19

"I wanna be here when the transaction is made…"

"But Vinnie said…"

"Fuck Vinnie! I don't give a shit about Vinnie! If it wasn't for me, Vinnie wouldn't even have known that the Fed's were planning to bust him!"

"I have to follow my bosses orders…"

Jack grabbed Alex and pushed him against the wall. "Vinnie may be your boss, but I'm the one who owns you!"

Alex struggled against the other man's grip.

Jack slapped him across the face. "And don't you ever forget that!"

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"Will somebody please tell me what is going on?" Harley snapped. "What are you two talking about?"

"I said enough of your bickering!" The AD shouted.

"I want to know what is going on!"

"O'Neil is fucking some kid, and the kid was raped last night, and we don't know who did it, but he thinks that Salerno was behind it, even though there's no real evidence to say so, he's goin' on pure speculation here, and that's why your boy toy was called away from this investigation, because he had to head up that investigation, to make sure that O'Neil's undercover status wasn't revealed to the local PD, but your brother found out about it, because O'Neil wasn't thinking straight, because he was stressing over that kid…"

The AD was speaking so fast that it took Gus awhile to process everything that he was saying. "What the fuck did you just call me?" he spat.

The AD continued as if he hadn't heard him. "And for some reason now your boy toy…"

"HEY!" Gus interrupted.

"Is somehow convinced that the anger O'Neil is feeling from this little incident is somehow clouding his judgment…"

"WHAT?" Harley said, shocked.

"I told you what happened, Terrier. We really don't have time to sit here and discuss this…" the AD said.

"Who is this kid?" Harley asked.

"Sandy Foster…" Gus answered.

"WHAT?" Harley said again.

"SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! JUST SHUT UP!" Jeffrey yelled. "STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT EVEN HERE! STOP CALLING SANDY A KID! STOP IT WITH ALL OF THIS! JUST STOP IT!"

"Jesus Christ, O'Neil! Calm down!" The AD said.

"We're supposed to be working on this bust!" Jeffrey said. "Not talking about the love of my life like he is just some…"

"All right… All right…" Gus said. "O'Neil's right… We should probably just focus on this case…"

Harley glanced at her watch. "We have less than three hours to figure out how we are going to do this…" she said. "Did you just call him the love of your life?"

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"Well the drop off is going to be made right here in the alleyway…" Alex said, still pinned against the wall.

"Yeah…" Jack spat. "And…"

"There's this little space right over there… No one really seems to notice it… When it's dark outside… Over by that dumpster… You could just hide right there, and watch the whole thing…"

"Mmm hmm…" Jack mumbled.

"Vinnie doesn't even need to know…"

"And what if I want him to know?"

"Please…" Alex whined. "He doesn't… He doesn't need to know…"

"AND WHAT IF I WANT HIM TO KNOW, BITCH?" Jack yelled.

"Please…" Alex pleaded again.

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Jeffrey ignored Harley's question. "I wanna get Vinnie myself!" he said.

"No!" Gus said. "You're too volatile, you'll just find some excuse to shoot him…"

"So what?" Jeffrey said.

"Aituro is right…" the AD said. "You can get the man dropping off the drugs, but Aituro is going to bust Vinnie."

"I have been working this case for so long!" Jeffrey said. "I should get to…"

"NO!" The AD said. "You are too volatile. Aituro is arresting Vinnie!"

"This is my case!" Jeffrey shouted.

"No, O'Neil… This is my case!" the AD replied.

"I'm the lead Agent…" Jeffrey insisted.

"And I am your boss!" the AD shouted.

"This is ridiculous…" Jeffrey mumbled.

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"That little spot right over there?" Jack asked, moving one hand off of him to point near the dumpster.

Alex nodded his head.

Jack looked him in the eye, cocking his head slightly to one side. "I won't tell him…" he said. "And what makes you so sure that he'd even believe me if I did?"

"I just… Didn't want to take the chance…" Alex said.

"I don't even know the guy…" Jack said.

"Then why? Why do you need to be here?" Alex asked.

Jack slapped him across the face again. "DON'T QUESTION ME!" he spat, his breathing becoming slightly hitched.

Alex looked down at the ground, averting his eyes in deference as he swallowed nervously.

Jack moved his lips, kissing the other man roughly on the mouth. He pulled back before moving in again and biting into Alex's lower lip until he could taste the blood, causing Alex to moan slightly. He sucked on it for a few seconds before pulling away and finally taking his hands off of him. "I think…" Jack said. "That you should get back to your boss…"

Alex moved to walk away when he felt Jack's fingers wrap around his wrist. He froze immediately, turning back to look at him. "I thought…" he said. "I thought you wanted me to go…"

Jack smiled. "Well…" he said. "I changed my mind…"

"Vinnie…" Alex said. "He's expecting me… Jack… Please… I… I don't have time for this…"

"There's always time!" Jack spat, roughly pulling Alex closer to him. "There's always time for this…"

"Jack…" Alex was almost breathless, but still, he was trying his best to think clearly. "I can't be late for this…"

"You can be late if I say you can be late…" Jack growled, his hands moving down to unzip Alex's pants.

"Jack…" Alex said. "Please…"

Jack pulled Alex's pants down roughly before turning him around and pushing him against the wall. He placed a sharp smack on his ass and Alex moaned out loud, his lust building to the point where he was no longer able to resist him, as more slaps followed.

Jack pulled his own pants down before gripping Alex by the hips and pushing into him hard and fast.

Alex screamed out from the pain, yet at the same time felt compelled to push back against him, the pleasure he was now feeling melting in with it.

Jack grunted into Alex's ear as he moved in him, going harder and faster with every thrust.

Alex threw back his head in pleasure. "Jack…" he screamed out, bucking his hips back against him. "Oh God, Jack…"

Jack gripped Alex tighter, his nails digging in deep enough to draw blood. A smile spread across his face when he heard him yelp his reaction and felt him move back against him even more fervorently than before. "You like it… Hard… Don't you?" he breathed into his ear, moving one of his hands down to stroke at Alex's cock "Don't you?" he repeated, his voice lowering into a growl.

"YES!!!" Alex screamed out, still moving against him.

Jack groaned low in his throat as he came into Alex, the other man's response to his question being enough to push him over the edge.

Alex shouted, feeling Jack's release inside of him. He threw his head back again as he came into Jack's hand, moaning his name out loud.

Jack slumped against Alex, pinning him against the wall as he breathed into his ear. "I told you…" he whispered, after a few moments had passed and he'd managed to catch his breath. "There's always time…"


	20. Chapter 20

"You're late…" Vinnie said, looking up from his desk to see his lackey walking through the door. "Where the fuck were you? What happened to your lip?"

"Bar fight…" Alex mumbled.

"You don't need to be drawing attention to yourself right now!" Vinnie said.

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Brad looked over the papers sitting on his desk. He kept glancing over at the clock. It wasn't like he'd never done this before, but he had a really bad feeling about tonight. Something seemed different. Something seemed off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Oh well, best to just do his job and get this over with. He'd sworn to himself that this would be the last time, but he was sure that he'd change his mind once he got his hands on the money. Just like he had all the times before…

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"You're taking the money…" Vinnie said. "You're exchanging it for the merchandise… Very simple. No questions asked."

Alex nodded at his boss.

"Do you think that you can handle that?" Vinnie asked.

"Yes boss…" Alex answered.

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"You follow whoever picks up the money until he is out of sight range and earshot from whoever picks up the drugs…" the AD said looking over at Jeffrey before turning his gaze to Gus. "You don't arrest for the drugs until Vinnie has his hands on them, do you understand me?"

Gus nodded.

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"This is a very big shipment…" Vinnie said. "We need to make up for the inventory that that slut disposed of…"

"I understand…" Alex said.

"You screw this up…" Vinnie said. "And I will have your head…"

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Sandy groaned slightly as he awoke. Didn't these drugs do anything? Why was he still in so much pain? His eyes shifted over the stark whiteness of the room, looking for something… Anything… to focus on besides the pain. If he pressed the call button for more drugs, then Ed would come and bother him again. Telling him that the police wanted his statement. No, he really wasn't up for that right now. He didn't trust the police. Not after… He remembered the flash of badge he had seen, attached to the guy's pants as he had knocked him down. He shuddered at the thought. And those eyes. Blue and cold as ice. Chilling. He was probably lucky to be alive. Or maybe he'd be better off dead. He needed to stop thinking. It just hurt too much to think about things.

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"How is he?" Reva asked after walking into the hospital.

"Last I checked he was asleep…" Ed said.

"Has he said much?" Reva asked.

"Well…" Ed started.

"Well what?" Reva asked.

"Nothing…" Ed said. "It's nothing…"

"Tell me…" Reva insisted.

"He doesn't want to give a statement…" Ed said.

"He hasn't even been in here for 24 hours and already they're pushing for a statement?" Reva said. "You're his doctor… You should know that he doesn't need that kind of stress right now!"

"Well, that's what I told Gus…" Ed said. "But Sandy made it sound like he was never going to give one…"

"You're his doctor!" Reva said. "Not a detective! Just leave him alone! Hasn't he already been through enough, Ed? Just leave my son alone!"

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	21. Chapter 21

Jeffrey looked over from behind the wall in the alleyway. He made sure that he was completely out of sight; not that it was so hard to be under the cover of darkness. He glanced at his watch, but it was hard to see in the dark. "How much time you got?" he asked into his earpiece.

"Fifteen minutes…" the AD replied. "And I suggest that you stay quiet from now on…"

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"You go into the alleyway. He gives you the drugs. You give him the money. It's that simple…" Vinnie said.

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Jeffrey watched as a shadowy figure stepped out of the darkness, clutching a metal briefcase in his hands.

Brad glanced around the alley nervously as he waited for the other man to show up.

Alex stepped into the alleyway, his eyes shifting, looking for where Jack would be hiding. Wherever Jack was, he sure couldn't see him. He still had no idea why Jack wanted to be here for this, but who was he to resist him? He'd never been able to say no to Jack, not even once since the first time they'd met. He just hoped that whatever Jack was planning, Vinnie wouldn't find out about it. Glancing over at Brad, he recognized him instantly.

Brad handed Alex the briefcase and Alex opened it, checking to make sure that the full shipment was inside. When he was satisfied that it was he handed Brad his briefcase, and Brad opened it to ensure that all of the money was there.

"Nice doing business with you…" Alex mumbled before walking briskly away from the scene.

Brad stood there for a moment, content to be alone with his money.

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Gus kept his eye on the door until he saw Alex enter. "Suspect has entered…" he whispered into his earpiece.

At Gus' word the AD spoke to Jeffrey. "Suspect is out of range. Arrest supplier. I repeat, arrest supplier."

Jeffrey moved from his position, going to arrest Brad when he felt a hand clasp over his mouth. He could feel the barrel of a gun pressed against the side of his head.

"You wanna live?" The voice was familiar, but Jeffrey couldn't quite place it. "You come with me, understand?"

Jeffrey nodded slightly, too afraid to do much else.

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Brad thought that he heard some sort of commotion and got out of there as fast as he possibly could. Well, as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself.

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"Agent come in…" the AD said. "Has the suspect been apprehended?" He listened, waiting for a response, but he got none. "Agent? I repeat, has the suspect been apprehended?"

"Agent this, bastard…"

And suddenly the AD heard something like the sound of the earpiece being crushed underfoot. But the thing that surprised him the most was the voice that had been on the other end.

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	22. Chapter 22

"Who are you?" Jeffrey asked. "What do you want with me?" He was shoved down roughly onto a chair, as the gun stayed pointed in his face. "ANSWER ME!" he spat.

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The AD looked over at Harley. "Come on Terrier, you need to come with me, now!"

"Wait…" Harley said. "You said that we needed to wait in the surveillance van as backup for Gus and Jeffrey…"

"Something is wrong here…" the AD said. "Something has happened to O'Neil."

"But… Gus…"

"Aituro can handle himself, come with me now. I have a feeling I know where O'Neil's been taken."

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"Did you think that I would forget what you did to me, huh Jeffrey?" the man said, pulling off the black ski mask with his free hand.

"Jack?" Jeffrey said, shocked.

"Well… who the hell else would it be?"

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"NO! STOP! GET OFF OF ME!" Sandy screamed as his eyes snapped open.

Reva fought to hold back tears at the condition that her son was in. "It's OK. It's OK." She said. "Sandy, you're just having a bad dream. They're not here." She squeezed his hand softly in an attempt to comfort him, but she felt useless. She looked over at the monitors silently praying that his bad dreams wouldn't cause his blood pressure to skyrocket like it had earlier.

Sandy's eyes wondered around the room. He looked scared and confused, like a helpless animal caught in the glare of somebody's headlights.

"You're in the hospital, Sandy…" Reva said. "It's OK. You're OK…"

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"You left me and found some perverted kid with an oedipal complex? Does it turn him on that you look just like his Daddy? Is that what he calls you in bed?"

"SHUT UP JACK!"

"Why should I Jeffrey? Huh? What're you gonna do, shoot me? Oh that's right. I'm the one holding the gun… just like I was last night. Holding it, pushing it, shoving it into that tight, little…"

"You're a sick perverted son a bitch!"

"I'm perverted? Oh, what would your boy think if he knew all of the terrible things that you did to me…"

"SHUT UP!"

"Or don't tell me… Jeffrey, you did them to him too, didn't you?"

"SHUT UP!"

"You teach him to like pain the way that you taught me, huh? You teach him to crave it? You teach him to yearn for it?"

"You don't know anything about me and Sandy!"

"I know that when he was sucking you off the other night he had his hands cuffed behind his back… You had him on knees… You were gripping his hair the same exact way I was gripping it last night. I have pictures Jeffrey, would you like to see them?"

"You're going to jail. You're going to be the one on your knees…"

"Like I used to be for you? Never! Never again will I be like that…"

"So what? Now you just go around hurting innocent people?"

"You're fucking him. I wouldn't exactly call that innocent. That kid is guilty by association and that is the worst kind of guilt."

"You're a sick freak!"

"I learned from the master…"

"I never did anything to you that you didn't want me to do!"

"You left me… You left me to move into some two-bit town… To find some piece of trash little slut…"

"What we had was over long before I moved here!" Jeffrey spat. "For God sakes Jack, just get over it!"

"Oh… I am over it. I'm way over it. And I'm consoled by my knowledge…"

"Your knowledge in what?"

"My knowledge in the fact that every time you go to fuck him. He's going to see me. Every time that you go to feel him he is going to recoil instinctively from your touch. Every time that you thrust inside of him, he is going to feel my gun. The barrel of my gun. You should've heard him Jeffrey. He squealed like little pig. He may have been saying no, but I knew that he liked it, he wanted it, he deserved it. Just because he was screaming and sobbing and begging and pleading with me to stop, doesn't take away from the fact that he enjoyed every last minute…"

Jeffrey jumped up out of the chair without even thinking, knocking the gun from Jack's grip with one hand before punching him in the face with the other. "YOU NEVER TALK ABOUT SANDY LIKE THAT!" Jeffrey yelled, pinning Jack underneath him. "I WILL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!" He wrapped his hands around the other man's neck and squeezed down as hard as he could.

The AD kicked down the door and a pointed a gun at him. "Let him go O'Neil! It's over! He's going to jail! His accomplice already flipped on him..."

"That little bitch!" Jack managed to hiss, even as he could barely breathe.

"Prison is too good for him!" Jeffrey said. "He needs to die!"

"Don't make me shoot you O'Neil!" the AD yelled. "You don't need to kill him… Listen to me O'Neil!" He stuck his gun back into his holster and wrestled Jeffrey off of Jack.

Jack got up and made a reach for his gun.

Harley appeared in the doorway. "Don't even think about picking that up!" she yelled, pointing her gun at Jack. "Don't even think about picking that up or I will shoot you!"

"Just shoot him, Terrier! Just shoot him!" Jeffrey yelled, still trying to pull away from the AD's iron grip.

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	23. Chapter 23

"Just calm down O'Neil, just calm down…" the AD tried his best to keep Jeffrey under control.

"HE DID IT!" Jeffrey shouted. "THAT SICK BASTARD! HE HURT SANDY!"

"O'Neil, please, just calm down."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"O'Neil! Calm down! You are not going to kill him! He is going to jail, all right! You are not going to kill him!"

"YES I AM! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"Tell me what good is it going to do Sandy if you're in prison?"

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Sandy continued to shift his eyes wearily around the room as if he expected someone to jump out at him.

"You were just having a bad dream…" Reva said, looking into his eyes. He looked so confused. So afraid. So lost.

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"Just go outside, O'Neil…" the AD said, finally letting him up. "You're not going to kill him. I will shoot you before I let you bring that down onto our department. You know that the higher ups are just going to say that he died in the line of duty. They won't want this scandal anywhere near them. But if you let him live, this will get out. Why allow him to die in glory, when you could just as easily let him live in shame?"

Jeffrey glared at the AD for a moment before walking outside. He didn't believe any of the bullshit the AD was spewing, but he was right about one thing. What good would it do Sandy if he were in prison?

Harley still had her gun on Jack when the AD moved to cuff him.

"How could you do something like this Jack?" the AD muttered before reading him his rights.

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Gus busted down the door, coming in with what appeared to be enough backup to take down a small nation. "Vinnie Salerno…" he said, pointing the gun at him. "Put your hands in the air…" he turned his steely gaze to the other man. "You too…" he added.

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The AD pulled Jack by his cuffed arms to the waiting squad car. As Gus did the same with Vinnie. And another agent working back up did with Alex. "Fucking bitch!" Jack spat, the moment that Alex came into view. "You turn on me? You're not going to last one fucking day in prison, you worthless piece of shit! Do you hear me, Alex?"

Alex looked over at Jack completely confused. He'd told them nothing, as he hadn't even been apprehended when the AD claimed he'd flipped on Jack. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Jack, I'd never…"

"SHUT UP, BITCH!" Jack yelled back at him.

The AD looked between the two men. "I'd like to remind you both of your Constitutional right to remain silent…" he said, before pushing Jack into the back of the squad car.

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After watching the squad cars whisk all three men away, Gus turned his gaze to Jeffrey. "What about the supplier?" he asked.

"It was Brad Green…" Jeffrey said.

"Why didn't you arrest him?" Gus asked.

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	24. Chapter 24

Alex looked up from where he was seated to see Jeffrey walking into the room. "I know my rights…" Alex said. "I want to call a lawyer."

"You have a lawyer?" Jeffrey asked.

"Yes… his name is…"

"Vinnie's lawyer?" Jeffrey interrupted. "He's in there with him, he's not going to waste his time on you…"

"Yeah… well… the bald guy said that I have a right to an attorney even if I can't afford to pay for one…"

"Oh?" Jeffrey said. "OK… I see… You want a public defender?"

"Yes…" Alex answered.

"You know…" Jeffrey said. "Most of them are very green… Straight out of law school… Or people who just couldn't make it anywhere else… You really think that they're going to give a shit what happens to you? They're getting paid the same either way… And unlike a private attorney, they'd have no reputation to keep…"

"I want a lawyer…"

"I can get you off Scott-free…" Jeffrey said. "You agree to testify against your boss, Jack, and the supplier… And I bet that I can get you full immunity…"

Alex chuckled sardonically. "Oh please…" Alex said. "After you've heard everything that I know… You'd kill me yourself…"

"No…" Jeffrey said. "Don't you get it? No body gives a shit about you! The one that I want to get is Jack…"

"Yeah, and what about your superiors?"

"They want Vinnie…" Jeffrey said.

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"All right Jack…" the AD said. "You know the drill, first one to give us something useful gets full immunity…"

"First one to talk?" Jack said, raising an eyebrow. "You had me believing that the bitch'd already flipped on me out there…"

"I had to say something to keep Jeffrey from killing you…"

Jack chuckled slightly. "I don't know anything about the drugs…" he said. "I had nothing to do with the drugs…"

"Come on, Jack…" the AD said. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that…"

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"I'm not going to rat Jack out…" Alex said.

Jeffrey laughed. "DON'T YOU GET IT?" he yelled. "HE ALREADY THINKS THAT YOU DID!"

"But I haven't said anything!"

"Well… I really don't think that he gives a damn…"

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"Fine…" Jack said. "I saw the whole thing going down… But, like I said before, I had absolutely nothing to do with it…"

"What exactly did you see?" the AD asked.

"I want it in writing." Jack said. "I want the immunity deal in writing before I say anymore."

"Come on now, Jack. You know that's not how it works."

"Maybe I don't want immunity…" Jack said. "I'd probably be safer in jail than out…"

"What makes you say that?"

"O'Neil… If I get off… He's going to kill me…"

"I can put you in the witness protection program…'

"NOW WE BOTH KNOW THAT THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM IS A LOAD OF CRAP!"

The AD sighed. "Then tell me Jack, what is it that you want?"

"If there's nothing that I want…" Jack smiled. "Then I have no reason to tell you anything…"

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"I want a lawyer…"

"All right…" Jeffrey said, pulling out the phone. "I'll call the public defender…"

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"Maybe I wanna get off Scott-free without being labeled as a rat…" Jack said. "Or maybe I wanna spend the rest of my life in jail…"

"Well… you're well on your way to your second wish…"

"Or maybe I want Jeffrey dead…"

"I don't believe that for one second, Jack." The AD said. "If you wanted O'Neil dead, you would've killed him yourself. I know that you had the time…"

"He had to hear me first. He had to hear all of the things that I wanted to tell him…"

"Why do you hate Jeffrey so much?" the AD asked.

"Oh, come on! You know damn well why!"

"No, I don't!" the AD said, hoping that he'd be able to pull a confession from the level of Jack's anger. "Tell me… Tell me why you hate him…"

"Because he's a selfish son of a bitch who tramples on other people without thinking twice about the effects that it will have on their lives…"

"So, you had to teach Jeffrey a lesson?"

"YES!" Jack said. "He needed to know what it feels like to hurt! And I don't mean the physical pain, because anyone can take that! I mean, he had to hurt! Inside, in his heart. I mean, if he even has one…"

"That's genius, Jack." The AD said. "But where does Vinnie fit into all of this?"

"Vinnie… Vinnie… Vinnie… Just gave me an excuse to do what I already knew needed to be done…"

"Meaning what?"

"His lackey…" Jack said. "Alex… He's mine. He does what I say…"

"And?"

"I leaked it to him about Eden August being alive… And like the predictable little faggot that he is, he went running to his boss with it… Vinnie told him to get something on O'Neil… So he went spying… Saw O'Neil getting sucked off by some kid… Took some pictures… Showed 'em to his boss… Vinnie tells him to hurt the kid… Vinnie doesn't even know me, but I told Alex that I wanted to go along for the ride… I ended up doing most of the work myself… You should've seen the way that kid begged. You should've seen the way that he bled.. It was so beautiful…"

The AD felt his stomach begin to churn at the level of Jack's sadism. "And what does any of this have to do with the drugs?" he asked.

"Damn it, I told you already!" Jack spat. "I'm not involved with the drugs"

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	25. Chapter 25

"The order just came down from the higher ups. There are to be no more immunity deals on this case. The best you can do now is confess and hope for leniency in sentencing. We've got you now. No jury is going to let you off."

"Typical rehearsed bullshit…" Jack laughed. "But I already confessed…"

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Jeffrey noticed Alex's reaction the minute the Public Defender walked into the room. He was checking him out, looking him up and down approvingly.

"I need to converse with my client alone." The Public Defender stated.

"You'd better make it quick…" Jeffrey said, getting up and leaving the room.

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"I mean about the drugs, Jack!"

"All right…" Jack said. "I'll spill everything I know about the drugs…"

"You will?" The AD knew that there had to be a catch.

"Yeah… I'll confess everything… To Jeffrey…"

"No. That is out of the question! How do I know that this isn't just another attempt to mess with his head?"

"You don't!" Jack spat. "But you are going to give me what I want, because you can't make this case without me! The only other person who actually saw the supplier, besides the people involved in this, is Jeffrey. And he failed to apprehend the suspect."

"Yes, and whose fault is that?"

'That's not the point!"

"THAN WHAT IS?"  
"The point is, I had a gun to that bastard's head. Any lawyer would be sure to point out that Jeffrey was in no condition to be sure of what he saw. When people are under duress, they sometimes see things that aren't there… So you see, without me, you have no proof. And maybe you can put away Vinnie and his little faggot lackey… But you won't have enough proof on the supplier."

"We'll get Alex to roll. He's weak. You said it yourself."

"He may be weak, but he's also pathetically loyal. Like a little puppy dog at my feet. He won't turn on me."

"Really? Because if I recall correctly, earlier I got you believing that he had."

"Maybe…" Jack said. "But I've thought it over and I know better now." He chuckled slightly before adding. "He loves me."

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"My clients willing to confess everything he knows. He's willing to testify against his boss, his accomplice, and the supplier. We just need to see those immunity papers."

"I'm sorry…" Jeffrey said. "But the immunity offer is off the table."

"What?"

"Orders came from the higher ups. You should've just taken the deal when I'd first offered it to you. Now, you can try for leniency in sentencing, but that's the best that you're gonna get…"

"I want my immunity! You said that if I…"

"I'm sorry Alex, but that offer expired a long time ago."

"He was so right about you." Alex spat. "You're a fucking liar!"

"I suggest that you advise your client to calm down…" Jeffrey said.

"We'll take our chances at trial. If it even gets that far…" The Public Defender said. "Alex, don't say another word."

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"Well, I'm certainly not going to tell you anything more…" Jack said, leaning back in the chair. "So you get Jeffrey in here or I shut up."

"Why are you doing this, Jack? Really…"

Jack shook his head no, then moved his hand over his lips, as if motioning to say that his lips were sealed, following his motions with a crooked smile.

The AD glared at him for a moment, before walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

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"Can you manage to question Jack without killing him?" The AD asked.

"And what if I can't?" Jeffrey answered.

"Then we're screwed."

"I saw the supplier. I saw the whole thing go down. Why do we even need confessions? Why isn't my testimony enough to put these men away?"

"You were under duress! You had a gun to your head, for God's sake!"

"The gun wasn't put to my head until after I had already seen the transaction take place!"

"O'Neil, when was the last time you slept?"

"Why? What does that have to do with anything? Why does that even matter?"

"Just answer me O'Neil."

"I got about a half-hour last night…."

"So, you're sleep deprived?"

"Maybe… But I know what I saw! That was Brad Green making the transaction!"

"Even if you're sure… The jury isn't going to be. With you sleep deprived, and under duress.."

"I wasn't under duress yet!"

"We need to pull a confession outta one of these guys. Aituro says that Vinnie isn't saying a word. He's got the best attorney in the business. It's gotta be Jack or Alex…"

"Alex was willing to confess for immunity… But then you yanked it off the table…"

"That order came from above me!"

"Then I don't know how we're going to manage this…"

"You have to question Jack…"

"I'll question him… But if my hands end up around that bastard's throat…"

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	26. Chapter 26

"This is what you wanted?" Jeffrey said, walking into the room. "I'm here. Spill it."

"How's the little bitch doing?" Jack asked with a smile.

Jeffrey sat down in the chair across from Jack. "You mean Alex?" He asked.

"No… Your little bitch…"

"I don't have time for your head games today, Jack…"

"Head games… I'm not playing head games… I was asking out of genuine concern…"

"Fess up Jack. You saw Brad Green there just as well as I did…"

"Maybe I did… Maybe I didn't…"

"You have no intention of confessing, do you Jack?"

"Maybe I do… Maybe I don't…"

"I told the AD that this would be a waste of time. Alex will break a lot easier…"

"No he won't. He wouldn't do that to me."

"If the higher ups hadn't yanked the immunity deal off the table, then Alex would've put you behind bars. He was all ready to confess…"

"You're lying…"

Jeffrey thought for a moment. Maybe he could play some head games of his own. And, this time at least, he wouldn't even have to lie to do it. "He asked for a public defender. You should've seen the way he was looking at him…"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"He was lookin' him up and down. Couldn't keep his eyes off of him. Maybe that's why it became so much easier for him to rat you out. He found some one better…"

"YOU'RE A FUCKING LIAR! HE IS MINE! ALEX IS MINE!"

"Maybe he is…" Jeffrey said with a slight smile. "Maybe he isn't…"

Jack glared at him; his blue eyes as piercing as daggers. "I don't give a shit what you say Jeffrey! I know it isn't true! You're a fucking liar! Always have been! Always will be! You're incapable of telling the truth! Even when you claim to love someone! I bet the little slut doesn't even know you're FBI!"

"YOU LEAVE SANDY OUT OF THIS!!!" Jeffrey yelled, returning Jack's hardened glare with one of his own.

Jack chuckled, leaning back in the chair. "So, you admit it? He's a little slut…"

"That's not what I said…"

"Oh, but it is, Jeffrey." Jack said. "It most certainly is."

"You really think that this is going to get you anywhere?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not tryin' to get anywhere…"

"Why are you doing this?"

"You know why Jeffrey." Jack said. "You know damn well why…"

"I know that you have no intention of supplying us with any useful information…"

Jack cocked his head to the side, looking Jeffrey straight in the eye. "Then what are you still doing in here, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey got out of the chair and started to walk to the door.

"No! Let me go damn it!" Jack yelled in a whiny voice. "No! No! No! Please!"

No! He did not just do that! Jeffrey turned around and glared at Jack, his eyes beginning to cloud with a murderous rage. "What the fuck was that?"

"You know damn well what it was." Jack smiled. "It was my dead on impression of your little whore." He raised an eyebrow. "You like?"

Jeffrey couldn't control himself any longer. He ran over to Jack and wrapped his hands around his throat for the second time tonight.

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	27. Chapter 27

"Ed, what is going on?" Reva screamed, having recently lost her fight to hold back a stream of tears. "He won't stop. He just won't stop. He woke up once and went back to sleep. I tried to wake him up again… He keeps making these noises. He's in so much pain… Please Ed…"

Ed looked over at Sandy who was lying on the bed. He was sleeping, however fitfully. Every so often he'd let out a groan, and sometimes even words, that made it perfectly clear what exactly he was dreaming about.

"He's having nightmares, Ed… Please don't give him any more of those drugs. He just won't wake up."

"With out the drugs…" Ed said. "He will be awake and in pain."

"He is in pain!" Reva cried. "He is reliving it over and over again in his head! It's like he is stuck in there! He is suffering!"

"If he doesn't ask for more drugs then I won't give him any, all right? But the drugs aren't what's causing his nightmares anyway…"

"But they are what's causing him to sleep so much…"

"In his current state, Sandy needs his rest."

"This isn't rest!"

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The AD wasn't even going to bother with words. He was done trying to accomplish anything here with words. He swung the door open and grabbed Jeffrey, ripping him off of Jack.

Jack gasped as he tried to regain his breath. "Crazy son of a bitch…" he muttered, once he was able to speak again.

The AD's brown eyes blazed like hellfire as he glared at his subordinate. "GET OUT!" He shouted. "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU O'NEIL, GET OUT OF THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW!"

Jeffrey opened his mouth to say something in protest, but before he could even speak, the AD had a painful vice-like grip on his arm. "GET!" The AD repeated. "GET OUT NOW!" He shoved Jeffrey towards the door.

Jeffrey left the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him.

Jack began to laugh. "You should know better than to expect even a modicum of self-control from that man…" he said, a crooked smile etched across his face.

The AD said nothing to Jack; he simply walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

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"Sandy calm down please…" Reva begged. She was done pleading with Ed, and had now instead resorted to pleading with her son for his own sake. "Please…" she gripped his hand in her own as she spoke. "Please Sandy, just calm down…"

Ed didn't think that her pleading would be of much use to Sandy, but as long as it made her feel even the slightest bit more at ease, he wasn't going to tell her that.

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"What the hell did you do that for?" Jeffrey snapped once the AD came into view.

"To keep your ass out of prison!"

"If you would've just given me a few more seconds…"

"Then Jack would be dead and you would be some convict's bitch!"

"The man that you knew as Jack is gone! This man is a raving lunatic!"

"Yeah, O'Neil, I managed to surmise that much myself…"

"You should've just let me strangle that bastard…"

"We need Jack!"

"No, we don't!"

"He likes to talk, O'Neil. If you would've just kept calm it would've irked him even more, and eventually he would've let something slip!"

"Did you hear what he said to me? Did you hear what he did? Would you have been able to keep calm after something like that?"

"I would've found some way to manage…"

"Yeah…" Jeffrey said. "Same way that I did. By wrapping your hands around his throat and squeezing down as hard as you possibly could until you've choked the last remaining breath of oxygen from his lungs…"

"NO O'NEIL!" The AD countered. "I would've put on a calm expression. And that would've done him much more damage, because he wouldn't have expected it. What you did… It was exactly what he wanted you to do… You are playing right into his hand…"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID?"

"THAT DOESN'T MATTER O'NEIL! THIS CASE IS ABOUT DRUGS! WE ARE HERE ABOUT THE DRUGS! WHATEVER ELSE HE DID… EVERYTHING ELSE IS SECONDARY! THIS CASE IS ABOUT THE DRUGS!!!"

"Secondary???" Jeffrey seemed simultaneously angry and hurt. "Secondary? You call Sandy's suffering secondary??? How could you even say something like that to me? How could you even say something like that at all?"

"I didn't mean it that way O'Neil… You know how I meant it…"

"What's one little rape? What's one little assault? What's one little attempted murder when you can bust somebody for drug charges, right?"

"O'Neil, stop this!"

"No, I'm serious! What is it all in the grand scheme of things really?"

"I needed you to break him, O'Neil! I needed you to break him, and you ended up letting him break you!"

"He didn't break me! I'm not broken!"

"YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM!" the AD yelled. "FOR GOD SAKES O'NEIL! YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM FOR THE SECOND TIME TONIGHT!"

"And you can't stand here, and look me in the eye, and honestly tell me that he doesn't deserve to die! You can't tell me that he doesn't deserve to die for what he did! Sandy is in the hospital! He is in the hospital! He almost died!"

"But he didn't die! He is alive and he needs you, and if you kill Jack then you will never see him again!"

"And if I kill Jack then he will be safe!"

"O'Neil, you have always been a very rational person… And because of that I trusted that you could put your personal feelings and your personal agenda aside in order to close this case… But what you've just done here makes me wonder if Aituro was right…"

"Aituro? What the fuck does Aituro have to do with any of this? Don't tell me that you are taking advice from him now?"

"Did I just feel my ears burning?" Gus said, as he came across the other men.

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "We were having a private conversation, Aituro…"

"In the middle of the hallway of the police station?" Gus said, looking over at Jeffrey. "Don't tell me… You tried to kill him again…"

The AD looked over at Gus as if he was contemplating something.

"Oh no…" Gus said. "Whatever you're thinking I don't want any part of it… You both had me believing that this case would be over tonight…"

The AD smiled at Gus. "Oh, Mr. Aituro, but the night is still young…"

Jeffrey looked between the other two men, instantly recognizing the look on the AD's face.

"We need fresh blood…" The AD said.

"WHAT?" Gus asked, confused.

"Jack… hates O'Neil… And… well… He's known me for quite some time… But you, Aituro… He's never even met you…"

"You want me to question this loon?"

"Yes…" the AD said. "And I want you to break him…"

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	28. Chapter 28

When he heard the door swing open, Jack looked up from where he was sitting "Oh great… Another one…" he said, rolling his eyes simply for dramatic effect. "What makes you think that you're going to fare any better in here than Jeffrey did?"

"I think it should be quite obvious to you that I am not O'Neil…" Gus answered, sitting down across from Jack.

"So, what's so great about me that I get to be questioned by three different men?"

"You know what you saw. Why don't you just admit to it so that we can get this thing over with..."

"And incriminate myself? Do you think that I'm stupid?"

"You've already incriminated yourself…"

Jack laughed. "Oh yes, but that was for a crime that I am very proud of…"

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"Why was the immunity taken off of the table?" Jeffrey asked, still in the hallway with the AD.

"I don't know…" The AD said. "But why do you care so much?"

"If you would just give that idiot his immunity then we could put away Jack, and we could put away Vinnie, and we could put away Brad Green…"

"O'Neil, you wouldn't be pleading his case to me if you knew the whole truth!"

"What are you talking about?" Jeffrey snapped.

"When you were questioning him, I was interrogating Jack…"

"Yeah… I know… And I didn't get to listen in because I was busy with Alex…"

"Jack confessed to what he did to Sandy…"

"Yeah… I know… You told me all of this already…."

"Jack said that he didn't do it alone…"

"WHAT?"

"Alex… Alex helped him. Vinnie ordered Alex to hurt Sandy as retaliation for you keeping Eden August alive. Alex… Basically thinks that he belongs to Jack, so of course he told Jack about his orders… And Jack jumped at the opportunity…"

"How the fuck did Vinnie find out about Eden?"

"Jack! Jack told Alex, with every intention of Alex leaking it to Vinnie…"

"Because Jack knew exactly what Vinnie would do with that information…"

"Right…"

"And Jack is also the one who leaked it to Vinnie that we were going to bust him at the festival. I bet you that he is the one that told Alex to advise Vinnie that they make the transaction in the alleyway, because he knew that you would put me there to catch the supplier, because he knew that after what happened to Sandy, you wouldn't let me go after Vinnie myself…"

"And he was in the alleyway hiding the whole time…"

"Because he knew that I would be vulnerable in that moment…"

"Jack has orchestrated this whole thing from the beginning…"

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"So, what exactly do you want to know?" Jack cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. "And what do I get for telling it to you?"

"What is it that you want?" Gus asked.

Jack looked Gus over and smiled. He licked his lips before saying. "You're a very handsome man, detective Aituro…"

Gus knew that this man was just playing games with him. His better judgment told him to ignore Jack's advances, but still, the way the man was eyeing him made his skin crawl.

"Something wrong, detective?" Jack smiled, raising an eyebrow once more. "You seem unnerved…"

"You didn't answer my question…" Gus said.

"Oh, but I did…" Jack said. "Only not in so many words…"

"What do you want?" Gus asked again.

"It doesn't matter." Jack answered. "Because I am never going to get it…"

"And how can you be so sure of that?" Gus asked.

"Believe me, detective Aituro…" Jack said. "I can tell when someone is completely repulsed by me…"

"What makes you think that I am repulsed?"

"The way that you are looking at me… You almost look… Afraid…"

"I'm not afraid of you…" Gus said. "Really, Jack, what can you possibly do to me? You're cuffed to the table…"

"And yet my stare makes your skin crawl, doesn't it? Because you know that this is the way that I must've looked at Jeffrey's little bitch before I had my way with him…"

"And you couldn't even get it up for that, could you?" Gus spat, purposely trying to push one of Jack's buttons.

Jack laughed. "Nice try, detective… " he said. "But I'm not taking the bait…"

"Tell me exactly what it is that you want…" Gus repeated.

"That depends…" Jack answered. "On whether you mean in the long term, or at this very moment…"

"I mean both…" Gus answered.

"Well…" Jack said. "In the long term… I want Jeffrey to suffer… And I want his little bitch to suffer too…"

"I would say that you've already managed to accomplish that goal…"

"Not nearly to the extent that I would want to…"

"And what exactly do you want in this very moment?"

Jack smiled again, his eyes moving up and down over Gus once more. "I want…" he said, licking his lips lasciviously. "To bend you over this table and make you scream my name…"

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	29. Chapter 29

Gus should've known by now not to be surprised by anything that Jack had to say, yet, in that moment, he was completely taken aback. "Not gonna happen…" he answered flatly.

Jack laughed. "Oh well… It was worth a try now, wasn't it?"

"Not gonna happen…" Gus repeated.

"Not even if I promise to confess to who I saw making the transaction?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just like you promised to talk if the AD let O'Neil question you?"

"All right. Well…" Jack sighed. "Will you at least suck me off?"

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"Looks like Jack turned out to be a lot smarter than I thought…" Jeffrey said.

"Now, don't get ahead of yourself here, O'Neil, we don't even know that this little theory of ours is anything more than that..."

"What other possible explanation is there? How else could the pieces have fallen together so perfectly for him? Through mere coincidence? I don't think so..."

"But we don't know any of this for sure…"

"We know that Jack raped Sandy. We know that the drug deal got moved up to today. We know that the drug deal got moved to the ally. We know that Jack held a gun to my head, and had every intention of killing me before the night was through…"

"Now all that we need is a way to get him to confess…"

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Gus was trying to think up a strategy. He was nearly at his wits end with this guy and all of his crude advances. "That's not gonna happen either…" he said, still looking Jack in the eye.

"You're no fun detective…" Jack answered. "At least Jeffrey's bad temper provides for some entertainment…"

"And why does the conversation always steer back to Jeffrey?"

"Why shouldn't it?" Jack asked, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not like you're ever going to get what you want out of me… And apparently, I'm never going to get what I want out of you either… So maybe you should just leave…"

"I never leave a job undone."

Jack chuckled slightly. "Yeah…" he said. "I'll bet you don't…"

"I'm going to sit here in this room with you until you confess…"

"All right well…" Jack said, leaning back in his chair. "Excuse me while I undress you with my eyes…"

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	30. Chapter 30

"Are you sure that Aituro knows what he's doing?" Jeffrey asked, looking over at the AD as they watched Gus and Jack through the two-way mirror.

"I'm sure that he's working some sort of strategy…" the AD replied.

"They haven't said two words to each other in the last half an hour…"

"Just… Give him some more time…"

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Gus took another drink from his water bottle before setting it back down on the table. He noticed that Jack seemed to be staring at it in an odd sort of way. "Thirsty, Jack?" He asked, the first words he'd spoken in the last half-hour.

"Nope…" Jack said. "Just watching the way that your lips wrap around the top of the bottle. Just watching the way that your fingers move up and down over it… As if you were stroking it… Trying to bring the bottle to some sort of release… Just imagining… What if that wasn't a water bottle that you had your fingers wrapped around…"

"I meant what I said, you know? Neither one of us is going to be leaving this room…"

"Mmm hmm…" Jack mumbled. "You know if this is your way of breaking people then you need some serious practice…"

Gus had no reply to that. He sat silently for about another fifteen minutes before finally thinking up something to say. "You know…" he said. "I never really liked that kid…"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What kid?" He asked.

"You know what kid…" Gus answered. "Always acting so damn cocky towards everyone. Thinking he's so much better than everyone else. Even hacked into my family's business accounts. If you ask me, he needed to be taken down a few pegs…"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, well… I made sure that he was…"

"And why didn't you just kill Jeffrey when you had the chance?" Gus asked.

"I had every intention of doing so…" Jack replied. "But that big bald ape got there before I was finished…"

"Why didn't you just shoot him right there in the alleyway?"

"In front of Alex and…" Jack caught himself before he said too much. "Oh, I see what you're doing…" he said.

"I'm not doing anything…" Gus said. "I just wish that you'd finished what you'd set out to do. You'd a done the world a great service…"

"And what do you have against Jeffrey?" Jack asked. "You seem wronged…"

Gus lowered his voice to almost a whisper. Maybe Frank was good for an idea. "I thought…" Gus said. "That if I gave him what he wanted in the surveillance van, that he would want me… He made it seem like if I gave in to him… He'd want me instead of that cocky…" What had Jack called him? Oh, right… "Little bitch. But no… Of course not. I'm not good enough for Jeffrey O'Neil. Not for more than a fuck anyway…"

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The words hit Harley like a ton of bricks, as she'd entered the room just in time to hear them. She remembered her brother mumbling something about how close Gus and Jeffrey seemed, but she'd shrugged it off as just more of Frank's nonsensical ramblings. Her eyes were as wide as saucers when she finally spoke. "What did he just say?" She snapped, looking over at Jeffrey.

The look on her face was priceless. It made Jeffrey want to laugh, but he somehow managed to hold it in. "It's called strategy, Terrier…" he said, before turning his attention back to the conversation that was slowly unfolding in front of him.

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"At least he didn't string you along…" Jack said, noting that the detective seemed genuinely disconcerted over this. "Making you think that he loved you, even though he'd never actually said the words…"

"No…" Gus said. "I wasn't even good enough for that…"

"Because nobody's good enough for him…" Jack said. "'Cept for that little bitch…"

"But you took care of him, huh?" Gus said, forcing a chuckle.

"Oh yes I did…" Jack said.

"No regrets?" Gus asked.

"Only one…" Jack answered.

"Dare I ask?" Gus said, raising an eyebrow.

"I wish I would've finished the job… I mean, could you just picture Jeffrey if the little whore died and it was all his fault?" Jack said, before beginning to laugh, almost maniacally so.

Gus didn't find it funny at all, but he forced himself to laugh right along with him. Maybe he could catch him in a weak moment. "Really, I mean… You could've just shot Jeffrey in that alleyway. I'm sure that neither Alex or Brad would've minded much…"

"Yeah…" Jack said, his guard slipped for a second. "They would've just gone right on doing their business…"

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	31. Chapter 31

"Is that it?" Jeffrey asked, turning to face the AD. "Is that enough?"

"Doing their business… It sounds so vague…" the AD replied.

"But…" Harley added. "Isn't what he just said tantamount to a confession?"

"It should work…" the AD said. "But something a bit clearer would be even better. I think I'll give Aitoro some more time…"

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Gus continued to laugh along with Jack. "Yeah… I 'm sure nobody would mind…" he said. "Drug deal would've still gone on just fine. Brad would've still gotten away…"

It took Jack a few moments to realize what he had said. The look on his face making it quite obvious that he knew, at least now after the fact, that he had been tricked into a confession. He stopped laughing and glared at Gus.

"What's wrong?" Gus said. "Don't you find it funny anymore?"

"I see that Jeffrey has educated you quite well in the art of deception…" Jack said.

"You have no power here any more, Jack." Gus said. "That's it, you're going to be locked up for life…"

"I'll get out sooner than you think…" Jack said, his eyes roaming over Gus once more. "And when I do…"

"Oh shut up!" Gus cut in before walking out of the room.

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"You did it!" Harley said, wrapping her arms around Gus when he walked into the room.

"Yes…" Gus replied, nodding slightly. "That I did…"

Harley held on to him for a moment longer before pushing him away. "But why did you have to be so damn convincing?" she asked.

"Huh?" Gus said.

Jeffrey chuckled slightly before cutting in. "I think you actually had her believing it there for a minute…" he said.

Gus looked shocked. "I did?" he asked. "You thought that I…"

"Well… Frank had been mumbling all of this stuff about… And then I walked in just in time to hear you say… It was only for a brief second… You just sounded so convincing…" Harley mumbled, trying to find the right words.

"Frank…" Gus said, rolling his eyes. "Well… At least your brother was good for an idea. I don't think that I ever would've thought to use that angle if Frank hadn't planted the idea in my head."

"I've already sent agents to arrest Brad Green…" the AD said, walking back into the room. "Pretty soon this whole mess will be over with…"

"Over with?" Jeffrey said. "This case still needs to be prosecuted…"

"Yes…" the AD said. "But that's your jurisdiction, O'Neill, not mine."

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	32. Chapter 32

Brad knew something bad had gone down in that alleyway. All that commotion… He was just glad that he'd gotten out of there in time. But what he really needed right now was to get some sleep. His plane would be leaving in the morning. Then again, a nightcap would be nice…

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"Suspect appears to be home…" the agent whispered into her earpiece.

"All right…" the AD replied. "Arrest him and bring him down to the station."

The agent tapped on the door. There was no answer. So then she pounded.

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Brad sighed and put the empty glass down on the nightstand. Who would be here this late at night? He got up and went to open the door. He was surprised to see a beautiful woman standing in front of him. One that he'd never even met before. "Well… hello…" he said, looking her up and down. "How can I help you?"

"Brad Green?" She asked, raising an eyebrow coquettishly.

"Yes…" he smiled. "That's me…"

The agent flashed him a smile back before grabbing his arm. "You're under arrest…" she said.

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"I think that we all just need to get some rest now…" the AD said.

"And what about Brad Green?" Jeffrey asked. "Who is going to question him?"

"I'll have the arresting agent do it…" the AD said. '

"Who's the arresting agent?" Jeffrey asked.

The AD chuckled slightly. "Someone that I think Brad'll open up to a lot easier than me or you or Aitoro…"

"Oh…" Jeffrey replied with a knowing smile.

"And then tomorrow, after a good night's sleep…" the AD added. "You can get to work on the prosecution…"

"Tomorrow?" Jeffrey said. "No… there's no way any of these guys're gettin' bail. I'm taking a week off and then I'll get to work on the prosecution…"

"Whatever…" the AD said. "Once Brad Green's interrogation is over with, this case is outta my hands…"

"I think that you should put someone else on it…" Gus cut in.

"Excuse me?" Jeffrey said, turning to look at him.

"Conflict of interest…" Gus said.

"I have no conflict of interest with these drug charges…" Jeffrey said.

"And what about the rape charges?" Gus said. "And the attempted murder? They hit too close to home…"

"I can handle it Aitoro!" Jeffrey growled.

"Come on honey…" Harley said, pulling Gus by the arm. "Let's get outta here before they rope us into another investigation…"

"Speaking of which…" the AD said. "If you two ever wanna become agents…"

"You see what I mean…" Harley said.

"No thanks…" Gus said. "I think I'll pass…"

"Yeah… Me too…" said Harley. "I'm done with the FBI for good…"

"Well…" the AD said. "If you ever change your minds then you let me know…"

"Believe me…" Gus said. "That won't be necessary…"

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	33. Chapter 33

Gus and Harley were both particularly quiet on the drive home. They both had a lot on their minds right now.

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Jeffrey saw Ed and Reva talking right outside of Sandy's room. "So…" he asked, looking between them. "How is he?"

"Physically, he's in no worse condition than when you left…" Ed said.

"And just what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Jeffrey snapped. "Can't I get a straight answer out of anyone tonight?"

"Well... What is that supposed to mean?" Reva snapped back, looking over at him. "Is that an FBI badge?" she asked.

"What?" Jeffrey said. "Oh… yeah…"

"You're an FBI agent?" Reva said. "Since when?"

"Since a long time ago…" Jeffrey said. "Now will you just tell me what you meant by that?"

"He's been having nightmares…" Ed said. "I've been monitoring him even more closely because I'm afraid that his heart rate and blood pressure might skyrocket again like they did earlier…"

"But they haven't, right?" Jeffrey said.

"No…" Ed replied. "But that doesn't mean that they won't…"

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Gus sighed as he threw his keys onto the nightstand.

"I'm so tired…" Harley said. "I just want to get some sleep…"

"Yeah…" Gus mumbled. "Sleep…"

"Honey…" Harley said, noticing the look on her fiancee's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you trust me?" Gus asked.

"Of course I do…" Harley answered. "What kind of question is that?"

"I just… I can't believe that…" Gus trailed off.

"You can't believe that what?" Harley asked.

"I can't believe that you actually thought what I was saying in that interrogation was true!"

"Honey… It was only for a split second…" Harley said.

"But even so…" Gus said. "How could you even think that I would cheat on you? And not just that, but with another man? And not even just that, but with Jeffrey O'Neill of all people?"

"Look…" Harley said, grabbing his hand and looking up into his eyes. "I know you didn't sleep with Jeffrey, all right… I know that you wouldn't cheat on me… And I know that you're not into guys…"

"Then why…"

"You just caught me off guard, that's all…" Harley said. "It was just so quick and out of the blue, and you sounded like you meant every word that you said… But I understand that you were just doing your job…"

"Are you sure…" Gus said. "You're not having doubts… About… Us…"

"I'm sure." Harley said. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you…"

"Really?" Gus said.

"Yes…" Harley answered, a sly smile crossing her face. "Even if you did sleep with Jeffrey O'Neill…"

Gus' eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"It was a joke, honey…" Harley said, laughing slightly.

"Yeah…" Gus said. "Well you're not very funny…"

"I guess that telling jokes just isn't one of my strong points…" Harley said.

"Nope…" Gus said. "But I know what is…"

"And what would that be?" Harley asked with a smile.

"This…" Gus said before bringing his lips down onto hers.

Harley returned the kiss, if only for a few seconds, before pulling back. "Oh…" she said. "I am good at that…"

Gus smiled slightly before pulling her back into the kiss.

She sighed slightly into his mouth as she felt his hands moving under her shirt, which he slowly unbuttoned before pulling off. He unclasped her bra and dropped it to the ground as his hands roamed over her.

She moved onto the bed, lying back and pulling him on top of her. Her hands went to his shirt, ripping it off of him before their lips met again.

He trailed kisses down her breasts and stomach, pulling off her pants as he did so.

She moaned aloud as he brought his mouth lower, licking her again and again before finally pushing his tongue into her. "Gus…" she breathed, feeling herself moving closer and closer.

He moved his tongue quicker until he could feel her body tense as she shouted her release.

She lied back for a few moments, panting as she tried to catch her breath; her desire subsided only for a few seconds. She looked over at Gus and smiled, before pouncing onto him. She pulled his pants and boxers off quickly, before moving herself onto him.

He groaned as her heat took him in. "Harley…" he muttered as he felt her moving faster.

She moved herself up and down on his cock as he thrust up into her, both continuing as their bodies moved nearer and nearer to climax. Harley's moans grew louder when she finally came.

Gus groaned as he felt her tighten around him, and came only a few seconds after her.

Harley collapsed on top of him, panting into his ear. They both lied still for a few moments, their breathing slowly returning to normal. "I take it you're not mad anymore…" Harley said, with a slight smile.

"No…" Gus said. "Not at all…"

"So…" Harley said, moving off of him and standing up. "Tell me something…"

"Tell ya what, babe?" Gus asked, raising an eyebrow.

A sly smirk crossed Harley's face once again. "Was I better than Jeffrey O'Neill?"


	34. Chapter 34

Jeffrey looked down at Sandy, asleep on the bed. He was relieved to find him in a quiet, and seemingly peaceful, slumber. He wasn't groaning or speaking or struggling as Ed and Reva had described. He was just asleep. Jeffrey rested his head against the chair and sighed. He was so tired. The past day would've been completely exhausting, even if he had gotten some sleep. But in his sleep-deprived state, it was even worse. He probably should've gone to the Beacon and gotten some rest before he headed back here, but he wanted to be with Sandy. He squeezed Sandy's hand in his own. "I love you…" he whispered before drifting off to sleep himself.

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Sandy awoke to feel a hand gripping his own. He was still half-asleep, in an almost dazed state. When he opened his eyes, there was only one thing that he saw. The badge. And in that moment it all came rushing back to him. All the fear. The sheer terror that he had felt. "GET AWAY!" He screamed, jerking back as he pulled his hand away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" He was shaking and tears had begun to stream down his face.

"Sandy…" Jeffrey mumbled as he awoke. "Sandy…" he repeated, becoming more lucid, opening his eyes to see him there, shaking. "Sandy, it's me…" he said.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Sandy screamed again, his eyes locked onto Jeffrey's badge. "GET AWAY!!! PLEASE…" he pleaded. "PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

Jeffrey got out of the chair. "Sandy, it's just me…" he repeated. "All right. I won't touch you. I'm not gonna hurt you. You know that I would never hurt you. I'm sorry. I'll just... I'll leave…" He really didn't want to leave Sandy alone in this condition, but if it was what Sandy wanted, if it was what Sandy needed right now, then he wouldn't resist him. He began to walk slowly towards the door.

It took Sandy a few seconds to realize where he was and who he was with. "Jeffrey…" he whispered, looking up at him, still visibly shaken.

"Yes…" Jeffrey, said, turning back around to face him. "It's me baby… I'm right here…"

Sandy was still panting and shaking with fear. "I saw that… I thought you were…" he turned away from him and began to sob.

Jeffrey knew that he couldn't leave him alone like this. He walked back over to him and wrapped his arms around him; as best he could without hurting him. "It's OK…" he whispered, running a hand through Sandy's soft, dark hair. "It's OK Sandy…" he said.

Sandy cried on Jeffrey's shoulder. He just needed to get all of his emotions out right now. When he finally pulled away from Jeffrey, he tried not to look at it. But his eyes were inevitably drawn back down. "TAKE IT OFF!" He screamed.

Jeffrey was confused. "What? Sandy, take what off?"

"Badge…" Sandy said, more quietly now. "Please…"

Jeffrey took his badge off and stuck it in his back pocket, out of Sandy's sight. He didn't want to push him too much, but he knew that Sandy needed to get this out. He gripped his hand again, looking into his eyes. He swallowed nervously before asking, "Was he wearing a badge?"

Sandy's eyes seemed to cloud with fear again. "Don't wanna talk…" he said, turning away as much as he could without causing himself any more pain.

That was the answer Jeffrey had expected. He squeezed Sandy's hand and said, "You know that I'm right here if you change your mind… I love you, Sandy… You can tell me anything…"

Sandy looked into Jeffrey's eyes and said nothing. He didn't want to talk about this right now. He didn't even want to think about this right now. He just wanted to forget. "Love you too…" he said.

Jeffrey kept his eyes locked onto Sandy's. "I mean it you know…" he said, trying his best to keep his voice sounding comforting and not pushy. "Sandy, you can tell me…"

Sandy looked up into Jeffrey's eyes. "There were two of them…" he said. "One held me down while the other one…" he was shaking again, unable to finish his sentence coherently.

"It's OK Sandy…" Jeffrey said reassuringly. "It's OK…"

Sandy swallowed nervously, making a conscious effort not to cry again. "He had a badge just like yours…"

Jeffrey nodded slightly, still gripping Sandy's hand in his own.

"His eyes, Jeffrey…" Sandy said, tears forming in his eyes once more. "His eyes were so cold… I thought that he was going to kill me… I thought that I was going to die…"

Jeffrey wrapped his arms around Sandy again, holding him against him.

"It hurt so much…" Sandy cried. "Even now… Even with the drugs it still hurts so much…"

"Do you need more drugs?" Jeffrey asked.

"They just make me sleep…" Sandy said. "They just make me sleep and dream about it… I can't get it out of my head… His badge… And his eyes… Jeffrey, I can't… I can't stop thinking about it… Every time that I close my eyes I see him. That black ski mask and that badge and those eyes. Those cold blue eyes…"

"He can't hurt you, Sandy… He can't hurt you anymore…"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE CAN DO?" Sandy cried.

"He's in jail. I made sure of it. He's in jail, and he is going to rot in prison for the rest of his miserable life…"

"You don't know that…" Sandy said.

"I will make sure of it…" Jeffrey said, holding him tighter. "I swear to you… I will make sure of it…"

The realization that came to Sandy in that moment was an awful one. He pulled away from Jeffrey and started to shake again. "You… Know… Who…" He said. "You… Know… Why…"

"Sandy please…" Jeffrey said. "Please don't…"

"Tell me damn it!!!" Sandy yelled. "You know, don't you? You know why this happened! You know why this happened to me!"

"I'm sorry baby…" Jeffrey said, fighting to hold back tears himself. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"Why?" Sandy said. "Why did this happen to me?"

"Believe me… If I would've known… I would've done my best to keep you safe.

"TELL ME JEFFREY! JUST TELL ME!"

"I don't see how me explaining this to you is going to make you feel any better…"

"Please…" Sandy looked up into Jeffrey's eyes, his face still streaked with tears. "Please Jeffrey, I need to know… I need to know why…"

"Well the badge…" Jeffrey said. "I'm an FBI agent… I've been undercover working on a drug bust… At first I thought that was why… I thought the local mob boss was responsible…"

"And he's not?" Sandy said.

"I guess in some small way, maybe he helped… But…" It was hard for Jeffrey to get the words out.

"But what?" Sandy said.

"Another agent… Who I was involved with a long, long time ago… He became involved with one of the mob bosses lackey's… He leaked information to him… And he is really the one responsible for this…"

"He wants me dead…" Sandy said. "He wants me dead because of you… He's jealous of me… He's jealous of what we have…"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "That's basically it…"

Sandy didn't know how to react to any of this. He thought that knowing would help him to feel better, but it wasn't doing much of anything. "How do you know they'll put him away…"

"He confessed to it Sandy…" Jeffrey said. "Twice to me… And then to two others… There's no way he's going to walk on these charges… And he also tried to kill me last night… My boss walked in… He can testify to that too…"

"He tried to kill you?" Sandy asked. "What? Why does he hate you so much? Did you really hurt him that bad?"

Jeffrey sighed. "I suppose that only he could really answer that …"

Sandy sighed. He didn't want to talk about this anymore.

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	35. Chapter 35

"Sandy, you've been here for over a day and a half…" Reva said. "You need to eat something…"

"I'm not hungry…" Sandy said, pushing the tray away.

"Sandy, please…"

"Just go away… Just go home… Just leave me alone…" Sandy said, turning away from her.

"Are you trying to starve yourself? You need your strength… Come on, just take a bite…"

"I said I'm not hungry!" Sandy snapped.

"Reva, just let it be…"

Reva looked up to see Jeffrey standing in the doorway. "You're still here?" she asked.

"Who else is gonna protect him from you?" Jeffrey replied.

"I'm just trying to help my son…" Reva said.

"I believe that he told you to leave…" Jeffrey said.

Reva rolled her eyes, handing the tray to Jeffrey. "He needs to eat…" she said, before walking out the door.

"Thank you…" Sandy said, looking up from the bed.

"For what?" Jeffrey asked.

"Making her leave…" Sandy answered. "I can't get a moments peace…"

Jeffrey walked over to Sandy, setting the tray down on the small table next to his bed. "I need you to listen to me closely, Sandy, because you are never going to hear me utter this phrase ever again…"

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "What?" he said.

Jeffrey pushed the tray of food towards Sandy. "Your mother is right…"

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"What're you doing out here?" Ed asked.

"My son sent me out of his room…" Reva said with a slight laugh.

It was the first time that Ed had seen her smile since this whole ordeal. "Since when do you take orders from anyone?" he said.

Reva shrugged her shoulders. "He needs to eat." She said. "I figured he'd listen to Jeffrey more than he'd listen to me… Better yet, why don't you tell him to eat…"

"I can't force feed him…" Ed said.

"So…" Reva said. "You've already tried?"

"Tried and failed…" Ed answered.

"Well…" Reva said. "At least he seems to be in a much better mood than he was yesterday…"

Ed nodded slightly. "Just… Don't expect too much from him…" he said.

Reva raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Most patients…" Ed said. "They have their good days and they have their bad ones…"

"Jesus, Ed… Quit sounding so ominous… It's not like he's terminally ill…"

"I know…" Ed said. "Physically he should recover just fine… I mean… It's going to take awhile… But he should recover just fine…"

"Then what did you mean by what you just said?"

"I mean…" Ed said. "The emotional scars caused by something like this tend to run very deep…"

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Sandy rolled his eyes. "Why don't you leave too…" he said.

"Because…" Jeffrey answered. "I know that you don't really mean that…"

"And what if I do?" Sandy said.

"If you did…" Jeffrey answered. "Then you wouldn't have that smirk on your face…"

"You can't force feed me, Jeffrey…"

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow. "Is that a dare?"

Sandy chuckled slightly. "Maybe…" he said.

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"Why are you telling me all of this right now?" Reva asked.

"I just… Don't want you to expect too much…" Ed said. "That's all…"

"How much longer is he going to have to be here?" Reva asked.

"At least until the end of the week…"

"Five more days?"

Ed nodded.

Reva sighed. "That seems like such a long time…"

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"Open your mouth, Sandy…" Jeffrey said, holding a spoon full of green Jell-O.

"You are not going to feed me!" Sandy said, laughing.

"Then feed yourself…" Jeffrey said.

"Hospital food is nasty…" Sandy said.

Jeffrey took a bite himself. "It's lime…" he said. "It's pretty good…"

"All right…" Sandy said. "Then you eat it…"

"They brought it in here for you…" Jeffrey said.

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"It'll probably take him a couple months to recover fully…" Ed said.

"Yeah…" Reva sighed again. "I kinda figured as much…"

"Just try to keep your focus on how much he's improved in the last day and a half…" Ed said. "I mean, he's gone from being on a respirator to being not only awake, but completely lucid…" he glanced at the window to the room. "And he's even smiling…"

Reva shook her head. "That he most certainly is…" she said. "That he most certainly is…"

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"Come on…" Jeffrey said. "Open up…"

Sandy opened his mouth, letting Jeffrey feed him.

"Now… That wasn't so bad, was it?" Jeffrey asked.

"No…" Sandy said. "But if you expect me to eat anything else off of that tray then you are sadly mistaken…"

"What?" Jeffrey said, looking over the food. "You mean, you don't want this… Gruel?"

"No." Sandy replied.

"Maybe a little later…" Jeffrey said.

"No…" Sandy said. "Never…"

"Maybe I can have them bring you something edible?"

Sandy chuckled. "Maybe…" he said.

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	36. Chapter 36

"I think it's the new drugs you put him on…" Reva said. "That morphine was just making him sleep… But whatever you have him on now…" She looked through the window at her son and smiled. "He's laughing…"

"And I'll bet…" Ed said. "That you've been so busy trying to push that food onto your son that you've forgotten to eat yourself…"

Reva turned her gaze back to Ed. "You're right…" she said.

"You can get something to eat in the cafeteria…" Ed said. "I'm on my way there now for my lunch break… Why don't you come with me?"

Reva turned her gaze back to the window, her eyes locked onto her son.

"He'll be fine…" Ed said. "Besides… He seems pretty preoccupied at the moment…"

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"You keep on pushing me, Jeffrey, but when was the last time that you ate anything?" Sandy asked.

"I dunno…" Jeffrey replied. "Does it matter?"

"You seriously can't remember?"

"Sometime… Yesterday… I guess…. Unless you count that bite of Jell-O…"

"You can have my gruel if you want it…" Sandy smiled.

"No thanks…" Jeffrey replied. "I think I'll pass…"

"You sure?" Sandy said. "It's so appetizing…"

Jeffrey chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure…" he said.

"You can go, you know…" Sandy said. "Eat some decent food… Get some sleep…"

"It's the afternoon, why would I want to sleep?"

"You couldn't've gotten much sleep last night on that chair…" Sandy replied.

"I didn't wanna leave you again…" Jeffrey said.

"I'll be fine…" Sandy said. "Really, I mean, it's not like I'm going anywhere… Ed said that I'll have to be here about five more days… I couldn't expect you to sit there for every last second of it…"

"I'll go after you eat your gruel…" Jeffrey said.

"Well then…" Sandy replied. "I guess that you're stuck here for the duration…"

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"See, don't you feel better now that you've had something to eat?" Ed asked.

"I guess so…" Reva said. "But I guess I was beginning to feel better when I saw my son smile… Even though I know that it's just the drugs…"

"Maybe it isn't just the drugs…" Ed said.

"Oh please, Ed, don't start that crap with me…" Reva said.

Ed laughed. "I wasn't starting anything… I was just stating the blatantly obvious…"

"Yeah…" Reva said, her smile suddenly faded. "Well… Don't…"

"I can see why it bothers you…" Ed said. "I mean… I don't understand how it wouldn't bother Sandy…"

"How what wouldn't bother Sandy? That Jeffrey O'Neill is a jerk who invites nothing but trouble onto himself and into the lives of everyone around him?"

"Well… That…" Ed said. "And… You know…"

"What?"

"His face…"

Reva didn't know how to respond to that.

"He looks exactly like Richard…" Ed said. "I mean, I know that Sandy wasn't raised by him, and probably considers someone else to be his father, but still… He is aware of what Richard looked like… It just doesn't make sense that someone could get past that so easily…Even if there is no genetic link between Richard and Jeffrey…"

Reva sighed and didn't say a word. She was lost in her thoughts, which had turned to her son's father.

"Reva?" Ed said. "Do you hear anything that I am saying to you?"

"Huh?" Reva said. "Yeah… It's weird…"

"You appear to have zoned out on me there for a minute…" Ed said.

"Thanks for lunch, Ed…" Reva said. "But I have to get back to my son…"

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	37. Chapter 37

Jeffrey awoke to see Gus standing in the doorway. "What're you doing here?" he mumbled, looking up at him.

"I need to take Sandy's statement…" Gus said.

"What?" Jeffrey mumbled. "Why? Jack confessed four different times to three different people, I think that the case is pretty damned open and shut…"

"I need to take his statement…" Gus repeated.

"Can't you see that he is asleep?" Jeffrey snapped, getting up out of the chair and walking over to Gus.

"I can wait…" Gus said. "The AD said that this is a top priority…"

"You don't work for the AD anymore, remember?" Jeffrey said. "So why don't you just get out of here?"

"Until this case is closed, then I'm still on it…"

"You're going to wake him up…" Jeffrey said. "He needs his rest. Just go away Aitoro… You know who hurt him. You don't need his statement…"

"Damn it O'Neill, you have no idea what went on yesterday when you were gone…"

"Well then why don't you tell me Aitoro?" Sandy stirred slightly in his sleep and Jeffrey wondered if he was going to wake up. "Can we talk outside of this room?" Jeffrey said. "Please…"

"All right…" Gus said. "Whatever…"

Jeffrey followed Gus out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "He doesn't need this kind of stress right now…" Jeffrey said. "I don't understand why you need his statement when you already have Jack's confession…"

"Oh come on, O'Neill!" Gus said. "Did you think that the FBI was just going to let him get put away and put the department to shame?"

"Aitoro, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"They lawyered him up, O'Neill…" Gus replied. "They're mounting an insanity defense, and quite frankly, I think that the jury is going to buy it… Unless we can get someone who comes across as sympathetic to testify against him…"

"Testify?" Jeffrey snapped. "You said that you needed to take his statement… You didn't say anything about him testifying in court…"

"Do you honestly think that if there was another way to do this that I would be here right now?" Gus said.

"Jack tried to kill me too…" Jeffrey said. "Why can't I testify? Isn't that enough? I could even testify as to what Sandy told me happened to him…"

"He told you everything?" Gus asked.

"He told me what he felt comfortable telling me..." Jeffrey answered.

"So, what exactly did he say?" Gus asked.

"I am not just going to tell you.." Jeffrey said. "He trusted me and I am not going to tell you anything unless he says that I can…"

"Or unless the judge orders you to…"

"So…" Jeffrey said. "I can testify instead of him?"

"Have you heard one word that I've said to you?" Gus said. "I said that we need someone who comes across as sympathetic to testify, O'Neill, and you just don't…"

"You're a detective, Aitoro…" Jeffrey said. "You're not a lawyer so quit talking like you are one…"

Gus glanced at the window. "He's awake…" he said. "I'm going to take his statement…"

"Why can't I do it?" Jeffrey asked. "He'll tell me more than he'd ever tell you…"

"Not gonna happen O'Neill…" Gus said. "You have too much of a personal stake in this case. They want someone who is going to be totally objective here…"

Jeffrey sighed, he knew that there was no point in trying to talk him out of this. "Aitoro, just, do me one favor, please…"

"What?" Gus asked.

"Your badge…" Jeffrey said. "Just… Take it off… Stick it in your pocket or something…"

Gus raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Just do it Aitoro…" Jeffrey said. "I am not going to let you into this room until you do…"

Gus took off his badge and stuck it into his back pocket. "All right O'Neill…" he said. "You gonna let me in now?"

Jeffrey moved out of Gus' way and followed him back into the room.

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	38. Chapter 38

Sandy looked up to see Gus walking into the room. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

"I need to take your statement…" Gus said. "About what happened to you the other night…"

"Why?" Sandy asked.

"Because…" Gus said. "We need it to make the case against…"

Sandy turned his gaze to Jeffrey and didn't even let Gus finish his sentence. "You said that he confessed…" he said. "You said that he was going to get put away for life and that the case was open and shut because of his confession…"

"Sandy, I'm sorry…" Jeffrey said. "But I really thought that it was… I mean, I never thought that the department would stoop this low just to cover their own tracks…"

Sandy moved his gaze back to Gus. "Does this mean…" Sandy started, but didn't finish his sentence.

"Does this mean what?" Gus asked.

"That I would have to… testify…"

"That is a very strong possibility…" Gus answered.

"And if I do…" Sandy said. "He will get put away…"

"Most likely…" Gus said. "Yes… But… I need you to tell me everything that happened to you that night… As best you can remember it…"

Sandy turned his gaze back to Jeffrey. "Can you… just… leave…" he said.

"What?" Jeffrey asked. "I want to be here with you…"

"No…" Sandy said. "I need to do this alone… Jeffrey please… Go home… Get some sleep… Please… Just… Leave…"

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Jeffrey asked.

Sandy nodded.

Jeffrey glanced at Gus for a moment before turning his gaze back to Sandy. "All right…" he said. "I will be back later, OK… I love you Sandy…"

"I love you too…" Sandy replied.

Jeffrey walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

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"I never thought you would leave…" Reva said, running into Jeffrey in the hallway outside of Sandy's hospital room.

"Don't go in there…" Jeffrey said. "Sandy is busy right now, all right. Just leave him alone…"

"Well, you sure seem grumpy…" Reva said.

"Just… Don't go in there all right?" Jeffrey said.

"Why not?" Reva asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just don't!" Jeffrey snapped.

"Jeffrey are you all right?" Reva asked, more out of curiosity than genuine concern.

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "I'm fine Reva…"

"Well, you don't seem fine…" Reva said.

"Since when do you care?" Jeffrey asked.

"I don't…" Reva admitted.

"That's right…" Jeffrey said. "You don't… So just stop asking…"

"What is going on with my son?"

"Gus is taking his statement… So just leave them alone, all right Reva… You think you could manage that just once in your life?"

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"All right Sandy…" Gus said. "I just need you to start at the beginning… Tell me everything that happened… And if you really need to take a break, then we can…"

Sandy swallowed nervously as he nodded slightly.

"First of all, when did this happen?"

"Not last night…" Sandy said. "Not the night before… But the night before that…"

"All right…" Gus said. "Now just tell me everything that happened… Tell me exactly the way you remember it… The more details that you can give me the better… Even if they seem insignificant…"

Sandy swallowed nervously again. "I was walking home… On the docks… I heard the footsteps getting nearer and nearer… I tried to walk faster… I just wanted to get home… But then he grabbed me by the wrist…. I tried to pull away, but he just pulled me harder… I can't… I can't do this…" he said.

"Sandy please…" Gus said, looking into his eyes. "You have to do this…"

"I can't…" Sandy said. "I can't…"

"Please…" Gus said. "Tell me… Did he say anything to you?"

Sandy hesitated for a moment. "He… He asked me where I was going… He had on a black ski mask… He had these intense green eyes… But there was no emotion behind them… I asked him what he wanted… He told me to answer his question… I told him that I was going home… He said that I wasn't… He punched me in the stomach, completely knocking the wind out of me… He pinned me underneath him and I noticed the way that moonlight shone off of his badge…" He started to shake slightly. "His badge is still etched into my memory… So vividly… I can't… I can't… I just can't get it out… He twisted my arm, so painfully… He called me a faggot and told me that I was going nowhere… I tried to kick him… I tried to pull away… I tried so desperately just to move… But… I couldn't… And then…" He paused for a moment. "I can't…" he said. "I can't…"

"Sandy, please…" Gus said. "Just tell me what happened next…"

"Another man… Appeared… He had on a black ski mask too… He kicked me in the face… And then he kneeled in front of me… He pulled my head up… By my hair… Asked me if I liked to… Suck cock… He pulled a gun out of his jacket… He ran the barrel over my lip… Told me to open my mouth…" Sandy paused, not wanting to continue.

"And then what happened?" Gus asked.

"I just lied there at first…" Sandy said. "I didn't wanna do what he said… The look in his eyes… His icy blue eyes… It was so cold… So much hate… I knew that he wanted me dead… I thought that he was going to kill me… He pistol-whipped me in the face…" He winced, as if he could once again feel the gun smashing into his cheekbone, before continuing. "He told me to open my mouth… And then the other man said that I didn't want it in my mouth and he started to pull at my jeans… I screamed no and tried to pull away again, but when I screamed he just shoved the gun into my mouth… He told me to suck on it… To pretend that it was Jeffrey's cock…"

"He said Jeffrey?" Gus asked.

"No…" Sandy answered. "He said the DA… And he held the gun in my mouth for I don't know how long before telling the other man to take my jeans off… I screamed for him to let me go… And I tried to pull away again, and that's when he started kicking me in the ribs… It hurt so much, and I could hear them breaking, but I tried not to scream… He pulled my jeans down… And then one of them said do it… And…" He was shaking and tears were streaming down his face. "I could feel him shoving the gun into me… I screamed no no no please… And I tried to pull away… But he just shoved it deeper into me… He called me a faggot… Asked me if I liked it… And then started to push it in harder… It hurt so much… Oh God… It hurt… It hurt so much… When they finally stopped… I could feel the blood dripping down my leg… And then… I think that I finally passed out…"

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	39. Chapter 39

"And what do you remember after that?" Gus asked.

"I woke up in the hospital with a tube down my throat… Jeffrey was holding my hand…" Sandy replied, still shaking slightly.

"Did you recognize either of the men?" Gus asked.

"I told you they were wearing black ski masks…" Sandy answered.

"Yes…" Gus said. "But did you recognize their eyes or their voices?"

"No…" Sandy said, shaking his head slightly.

"All right Sandy…" Gus said. "Is there anything else that you think I should know?"

"No…" Sandy answered.

"Your testimony is going to get him put away…" Gus said. "Someone will be contacting you with a trial date…"

"No…" Sandy said.

"What?"

"No…" Sandy said. "I can't… I can't do it… I gave you my statement, why isn't that enough?"

"Sandy, they are going to need you to..."

"No..." Sandy said. "You can't expect me to sit on that witness stand and say anything with him staring at me… I can't… I can't… I can't do it…"

"Sandy please, just think about it… You'll be a lot calmer by the time the trial gets underway…"

"No!" Sandy said. "I gave you my statement now just leave me alone!"

"Sandy, I am not going to try to talk you into anything right now… But please… Just… Think about it…"

"NO!" Sandy said, starting to cry again. "Just get out of my room!"

"Please… Please just think about…"

Sandy was shaking again. "JUST GET OUT!"

"All right.." Gus sighed. "I'm going…" He walked out of the room to see Jeffrey standing in the hallway. "Didn't he tell you to go home?" he asked.

Jeffrey's gaze was on the window. "Are you done torturing him yet, Aitoro?" he asked.

"I wasn't torturing him…" Gus replied.

"Do you think that it is fun for him to relive that?" Jeffrey said.

"Come on O'Neill, you know just as well as anyone that I was just doing my job…"

"LOOK AT HIM!" Jeffrey snapped. "He is shaking…"

Gus just looked at Jeffrey and didn't say anything. He knew that there was something else that he was supposed to tell him, but it had slipped his mind for the moment.

Jeffrey shook his head at Gus before walking back into Sandy's room.

Sandy looked up at him. "I can't do it, Jeffrey… I can't…" he said.

"It's OK…" Jeffrey said. He wrapped his arms around Sandy, stroking his hair softly. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do all right…"

"I can't… I can't sit there with his eyes on me…" Sandy cried.

"I know.." Jeffrey said. "I know… They can't make you testify, all right. Gus is just a little overzealous… He's over stepping his bounds. The detective's don't decide who testifies, the prosecutor does… And that's me… OK, so you don't have to worry…" He held him tighter, just trying to get him to calm down.

Standing in the doorway, Gus heard every word. And it made him remember what had slipped his mind. He stepped back into the room and said. "O'Neill, don't make promises to him that you can't keep…"

Jeffrey turned to glare at Gus. "What the fuck are you talking about, Aitoro? I'm the District Attorney… I decide who prosecutes what…"

"Jack's lawyer has submitted a request to the Attorney General… A request to have you thrown off of this case… There's a good chance that it will be granted, given the glaringly obvious conflict of interest…"

"Damn you Aitoro!" Jeffrey spat, pulling away from Sandy.

"What?" Gus said. "Don't shoot the messenger…"

Jeffrey moved back over to Gus. If it would have been just the two of them in that room he would've punched him in the face, but it wasn't, so he settled for pushing him against the wall. "You're the one who was spouting all that bullshit about conflicts of interest…" he spat. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe that is where they got the idea…"

Gus glared at Jeffrey. "I'm just doing my job…" he said. "And that's why I'm still on the case, because for me it is just that, a job… You do have a conflict of interest… And this case has become way too personal for you… As much as I don't particularly like you, I've always respected you as an agent and as a prosecutor… But if you can't see that stepping off of this case is the best thing here, then I have to wonder whether I was wrong to even give you that much credit…"

Jeffrey loosed Gus from his grip, still glaring at him. "Just get out of here Aitoro…" he said, backing away from him.

Gus didn't hesitate to do so. Not even for a second.


	40. Chapter 40

Sandy looked up at Jeffrey. "Can they… Make me… Testify?" he asked hesitantly.

"Only if they subpoena you…" Jeffrey said.

Sandy swallowed nervously. "Do you… Do you think that they will?" he asked.

"I haven't been thrown off of the case yet…" Jeffrey answered.

"But Gus said…" Sandy started.

"I know what Gus said… But it's not definitive until the Attorney General says it is…"

"I'm sorry…" Sandy said, a broken look flashing in his eyes.

Jeffrey moved closer to him. "For what?" he asked. "Sandy… You… You haven't done anything to be sorry for…"

"I know… How much… The drug case meant to you… I mean, you've been working on it for so long… And now… They're not even going to let you prosecute it… And it's all because of me…"

"No…" Jeffrey said. "Sandy, don't… Don't talk like that…"

"Why shouldn't I?" Sandy said. "It's true, isn't it? I'm your fucking conflict of interest!"

"Sandy, none of this is your fault! If anything I should be apologizing to you for getting you into this mess…"

"I'm just so damn stupid!" Sandy said. "What the fuck was I thinking? I had time to run… And I… I sped up my pace, but I didn't run… I should've run… I just… I should've run when I heard those footsteps…"

Jeffrey took Sandy's hand and looked into his eyes. "Sandy…" he said. "None of this is your fault…"

"It is my fault…" Sandy said. "Stop lying to me, Jeffrey!"

"Sandy…" Jeffrey repeated. "None of this is your fault…"

"It's my fault for being stupid and weak and afraid…"

"No Sandy… No…"

"What're you still doing here, Jeffrey?" Sandy asked.

"Sandy, what kind of question is that?"

"Just leave… Just go… Get out… Just leave me alone…"

"Sandy, why are you telling me these things? Are you angry with me? Do you blame me for what happened to you? Just please… Tell me… Tell me and I will leave, if that's really what you want…"

"If you leave me…" Sandy said. "Then there's no conflict of interest… If you… If you didn't love me…"

"But I do love you Sandy! I do!"

"And what good is it doing you?"

"Sandy… Please…"

"Please what?"

"Please stop all of this! If you want me gone because you're angry with me or because you blame me for what happened or because you think that I am a terrible person or because you just plain don't love me anymore then tell me and I will leave! But if you want me gone because you think that is really what I want… Or because… Because you think that I'd be better off pursuing a case than being with you… Then… Well… You're not going to get me to move from this spot!"

Sandy turned away from Jeffrey.

"Just tell me why you want me gone, Sandy, just tell me the truth… All right…"

Sandy swallowed nervously, once again fighting to hold back tears. "I don't! OK! I don't want you gone! But you should leave anyway… It would be better for you if you left…"

"Why?"

"Because…" Sandy said. "You don't need this right now…"

"Sandy…" Jeffrey looked into his eyes again, seeing all of the hurt behind them. "I need you just as much as you need me, if not more so…"

"That's a lie!" Sandy said. "That's a lie and you know it!"

"No, Sandy, it is not a lie… It is the truth…"

"I'm weak, Jeffrey… If I wasn't so weak…"

"You're not weak…" Jeffrey said. "A few days ago you were close to death… And now… You're breathing on your own… You're coherent… That's not weak, Sandy, that takes strength…"

Sandy shook his head. "I'm weak and I'm afraid…" he said. "If I were strong, Jeffrey… If I were strong, then the thought of testifying wouldn't scare me so much… If I were strong… If I were strong then I wouldn't become completely hysterical at the mere sight of a badge..."

"Sandy, no… You are not weak, that is just a form of posttraumatic stress disorder… I explained this to you…"

"Oh great, so I'm not weak, I'm just crazy…"

"You are not crazy…"

"Just mentally ill…"

"Sandy, don't say it like that… Given what you have been through…"

"Stop talking to me like you're my psychologist, Jeffrey! You are not!"

"I'm sorry…" Jeffrey sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"AND STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE I AM BROKEN!" Sandy cried.

"Sandy…" Jeffrey said. "I do not think that you are broken…"

Sandy turned away from Jeffrey again and buried his head in the pillow. He hated himself. He hated himself for being so weak and for acting this way. He hated himself for these hysterical crying fits that he'd had the past few days. He hated himself for being selfish enough to keep Jeffrey here… To keep him from his work…

"Sandy…" Jeffrey tried to get his arms around him, but Sandy just pulled away.

"Don't…" Sandy said. "Don't touch me…"

"I'm sorry…" Jeffrey said.

"Stop apologizing to me every five seconds!" Sandy snapped.

Jeffrey was getting frustrated with all of this. He didn't know how much more he could take of Sandy acting this way, and he hated himself for being unable to help him. He felt completely useless here. So he just sat there. He just sat in the chair by his bed and watched him cry. He made no more move to touch him. He made no more apologies. He just… Watched him.


	41. Chapter 41

Jeffrey wasn't quite sure how long he'd been sitting there. The seconds had begun to tick by so slowly now that… Had Sandy finally cried himself to sleep? Jeffrey ran his hand lightly over Sandy's arm and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I wish that I knew how to help you…" He didn't think that he could be of any more use here. He walked out into the hallway, relieved to see that no one else was there. He picked up his phone and called his voice mail. He sighed when he heard the message. Why did the AD have to be so damn vague? He dialed the AD's number and waited for an answer.

"Hello…" the AD said, picking up his cell phone.

"Hey…" Jeffrey said. "It's me, O'Neill… I'm just returning your call…"

"O'Neill…" the AD said. "Hi…"

"Why was the message that you left me so damn vague?" Jeffrey asked.

"I didn't wanna leave it on your voice mail…" the AD said.

"Well…" Jeffrey said. "What is it?"

"The Attorney General is throwing you off of the case…"

"WHAT!?!"

"But… only as a prosecutor…"

"Only as a prosecutor, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means…" the AD said. "It means that if we need more witnesses questioned, that he wouldn't object to you interrogating them… But you are not arguing the case in court…"

"This is ridiculous…" Jeffrey said.

"I honestly can't say that I find fault with his decision…" the AD responded. "Given the obvious conflict of interest…"

"Conflict of interest my ass…" Jeffrey snapped. "Who is prosecuting the case?"

"I don't know him…" the AD said. "Some newbie…"

"This case is too damn important to put some newbie on!" Jeffrey said. "I can do this! I can prosecute this case!"

"It's not up to me O'Neill…" the AD said.

"Oh, come on… I know that you have influence with the Attorney General…"

"Not that much influence…"

"Well.. Who is this guy he's putting on the case?"

"I told you O'Neill, I don't know the guy…"

Jeffrey sighed. "Is he going to subpoena Sandy?"

"I don't know…" the AD said. "I would assume that unless they could get somebody else to testify they would have to…"

"Have you tried Alex again?"

"What?" the AD said. "Why?"

"He is the obvious weak link…" Jeffrey said. "Vinnie and Brad have top-notch attorney's that aren't going to let them say two words to us… And now, thanks to the department, Jack does too… But Alex… He's stuck with a public defender…"

"And they are keeping him in the cell with Jack… So there is no way that he is going to risk pissing him off…"

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Jack looked over at Alex from his corner of the cell. Jeffrey's words still lingered in his mind. Had Alex really been ready to flip on him? "So tell me about your attorney…" Jack spat.

"What?" Alex asked. "Why? What about him? He's a public defender…"

"Is he hot?" Jack asked, walking over to him.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer me, bitch!" Jack said, smacking Alex in the back of the head.

"Oww…" Alex whined, standing up. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Just answer me!"

"I guess… You could… Say that he is…" Alex answered hesitantly.

"You were checking him out, weren't you Alex?"

"No!"

"Tell me the truth!"

"NO!"

Jack slapped him across the face. "TELL ME THE FUCKING TRUTH!"

"All right!" Alex screamed. "So what if I was?"

"O'Neill was right, wasn't he?" Jack said. "You were all ready to turn on me…"

"No, Jack…" Alex said, looking up at him. "No…"

Jack gripped Alex tightly by the hair, pulling his head back. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now…" he said.

"Jack… please…" Alex whimpered. "I'm not gonna turn on you… Please… Jack…"

Jack smashed his head against the wall of the cell.

Alex let out a blood-curdling scream.

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	42. Chapter 42

Jeffrey didn't know what to do with himself. For some odd reason… He didn't want to be in the room with Sandy, but he didn't want to leave him alone at the hospital either. He stood in the hallway, unaware of the time passing. It all seemed to meld together as he was lost in his thoughts. And then he saw the man on the stretcher. He moved over to him, looking at how beat up he was. "Is he going to make it?" he asked Ed.

"Jeffrey, get out of the way…" Ed answered.

Jeffrey watched as they wheeled him away. He pulled out his cell phone and called the AD for the second time today.

"Hello…" the AD answered.

"I need you to get that newbie on the phone…" Jeffrey said, sounding half-exasperated. "I need permission to cut a deal. I'm going to get a confession…"

"O'Neill, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"Alex is here…" Jeffrey said. "They just brought him in on a stretcher… How much you wanna bet that Jack is the one that beat him up?"

"You're still at the hospital?"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "Come on… Just do this for me and I can get a confession…"

"I will try, but there is no guarantee…"

"Good…" Jeffrey said. "Call me back when you're done." And with that, he hung up the phone.

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"All right…" the AD said. "It's done… No immunity though… Three years is the absolute lowest that he's willing to go…"

"Thank you so much…" Jeffrey said. "I'm going to call you back once I get in his room…"

"What?" the AD said. "Why?"

"I don't have a recording device with me…" Jeffrey said. "I'm going to leave you on the line so that you can record it from your end…"

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing?"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "Just listen for my call…" He hung up the phone and walked over to Alex's room.

"Jeffrey, you can't go in there…" Ed said.

"Why not?" Jeffrey said. "Aren't they done working on him yet?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then why can't I go in?"

"Because you have no business being in there!"

Jeffrey glared at Ed. "I have official FBI business…" he said. "Now tell me, is he awake?"

"Yes…" Ed answered.

"Is he coherent?" Jeffrey asked.

"Yes…" Ed answered again.

"Then I need to talk to him…" Jeffrey said.

Ed shook his head and walked away.

Jeffrey pulled out his phone and called the AD.

"O'Neill?" the AD said.

"Yeah…" Jeffrey said. "Do you have it recording?"

"Yes…" the AD said.

"Good…" Jeffrey said. "I'm going in…" He opened the door and walked into the room.

Alex looked up at him. "You…" he said. "What're you doing here?"

"You look bad, Alex…" Jeffrey said.

"So…" Alex answered. "What's it to you?"

"I can help you…" Jeffrey said.

"No you can't…" Alex said.

"I can plead you down Alex…" Jeffrey said. "I can keep Jack away from you…"

"What makes you think that I want to be away from Jack?" Alex asked.

"How about the fact that he bashed the side of your head into a wall?" Jeffrey asked.

"He didn't mean to…" Alex said.

"Oh really?" Jeffrey asked. "Then why are you in this hospital bed?"

Alex swallowed nervously.

"I can plead you down to three years, Alex…" Jeffrey said. "I can make sure that you're kept away from Jack while you serve your sentence… I know some guys inside… I can put you with one of them… Jack will never hurt you again… And you'll be out in three years… If you're convicted at trial, then you're looking at upwards of twenty-five… And a good chance that Jack will be there with you through the whole thing…"

"I love Jack…"

"Jack wants you dead!" Jeffrey said. "When you go back there he is only to get more and more violent with each passing day…"

"No!" Alex said. "He didn't mean to…"

"Alex…" Jeffrey said. "This is the last time that I am offering this to you… If you value your life you will take my offer… You will serve your three years and you will testify against Jack, Vinnie, and Brad… You will be protected on the inside… And once you get out, you won't need protection because Jack will be locked up for life…"

Alex looked up into Jeffrey's eyes, lost in his momentary contemplation. "You can really keep me safe?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Yes…" Jeffrey answered. "I can…"

"All right…" Alex said. "I'll do it…"

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	43. Chapter 43

The AD listened intently to everything that Jeffrey and Alex were discussing. He was worried that Jeffrey's focus was on the attack and not the drug deal, but he knew that if he had to, he could get somebody else to question Alex again later. He listened as Alex gave a detailed account of Sandy's rape, and it would've made him sick to the stomach if he wasn't so used to hearing these kinds of things on such a regular basis.

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Jeffrey felt like he was going to be sick, but he didn't show it. The cavalier attitude with which Alex discussed everything was almost as bad as the level of Jack's hate, and, in some abstract way, even less understandable. He was confused by some of the details, though. And he knew that he had to ask some more questions. "So…" he said, after Alex had finished recounting the attack. "You're the one who knocked him onto the ground?"

"Yes…" Alex said. "I'm the one…"

Jeffrey raised an eyebrow, completely confused. "So… You were wearing Jack's badge on your pants?"

"No…" Alex said. "Jack was wearing his badge… I was wearing the badge that he gave me…"

"He gave you a badge?"

"Yes… He said that its owner wouldn't miss it for one night…"

"Why?"

Alex swallowed nervously, hesitant to say any more.

"Alex, if I find out that you are leaving out crucial details, then I will not hesitate to pull the plug on this deal…"

Alex's eyes shifted as he thought.

"They will discharge you from the hospital and send you right back into the cell with Jack…."

Alex turned his gaze back to Jeffrey.

"And he will continue to beat on you until you're dead…"

"He said… He said…" Alex stuttered. "He said…"

"HE SAID WHAT?" Jeffrey spat.

"He said that if we wore the badges it would make an impact… He… He said that the lighting on the docks was just right… He said he'd studied something… I think… I think he said… PTSD… I think that's what he called it… He said there was a very specific type of PTSD and that he wanted to see if he could manipulate the situation so that he could purposely orchestrate a case of it… He said that since the little bitch was being fucked by an FBI agent and he didn't even know it… He said that it would hurt him even more when he found out…"

Jeffrey was completely appalled, and if he hadn't been trained otherwise, his jaw would've dropped open at that moment. Now, there was something they never taught you about at Quantico. He had never heard of anything so sick and sadistic in his life, at least, not first hand. He knew that Jack had specialized in psychological profiling, so he probably did know the ins and outs of the human psyche better than most FBI agents, but still… How could somebody be that vengeful?

Alex noticed Jeffrey's silence, knowing full well that the more sinister details of the case were wearing on the agent. "So…" he said, attempting to pull Jeffery out of his thoughts. "Are we done here?" he asked.

"No…" Jeffrey replied. "We've discussed the rape… Now, I want all the details of the drug deal…"

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The AD was relieved to hear Jeffrey say that. He sat back at his desk, more relaxed now that Jeffrey was going to get the information that was really important, and listened.

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	44. Chapter 44

"Someone will be approaching you with the paperwork before you are discharged…" Jeffrey said. "Your statement will be admitted into evidence, and you will need to repeat a lot of it on the stand… After you are discharged from the hospital, you will be taken to the prison to serve out your three-year sentence…"

"Away…" Alex said. "Away from Jack…"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "Away from Jack…"

Alex nodded slightly; his eyes locked onto Jeffrey's.

Jeffrey gave Alex one last glance, and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "Did you get all of that?" he asked into his phone.

"Yes O'Neill…" the AD replied. "I did… Good work…"

"Do you still think that they will have to subpoena Sandy?" Jeffrey asked.

"I don't know…" the AD said. "I'll have to talk to the prosecutor about that…"

Jeffrey sighed. "All right…" he said. "After you do… Just… Just leave me a message on my voice mail…"

"O'Neill…" the AD said, picking up on the tone in Jeffrey's voice. "Are you all right?"

Jeffrey swallowed nervously, unwilling to show his boss any signs of personal weakness. "I'm fine…" he said. "I'm just… Tired that's all…"

"Well, you're taking the rest of the week off right?" the AD asked.

"Yeah…" Jeffrey said.

"Get some rest…" the AD said. "You sound like you could use it…"

"I… Umm… I'm gonna go…" Jeffrey said.

"O'Neill?" the AD said.

"What?" Jeffrey asked.

"Does he know how much you love him?"

Jeffrey hesitated a moment, the question having been completely unexpected. "Yeah…" he said. "I… I'm pretty sure that he does…"

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Reva looked over at Sandy. She knew that he must've been through hell again today, giving his statement. She squeezed his hand softly and watched as he stirred awake.

Sandy blinked slightly, looking up at his mother. "Hi…" he said softly.

"Hi…" Reva answered back. "You feeling any better?"

"No…" Sandy said. "Not really…"

"You probably wanna go back to sleep, huh?" Reva asked.

"No…" Sandy said. "Not really…"

Reva didn't want to pry too much, but her son looked like he needed to talk to someone. "How did it go earlier?" she asked.

"How did what go?" Sandy asked.

"Your statement…" Reva said.

"It went…" Sandy said. "Well… How do you think it went?" he snapped.

Reva sighed, she didn't know how to answer that.

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Jeffrey hung up the phone and stuck it into his pocket. He felt physically ill. His stomach was churning in a way that made him want to throw up. He made his way to the men's room, locking himself into a stall. Kneeling over the bowl, he lifted the seat and barfed into it. He hadn't had much to eat, so it was mostly just stomach acid, and it stung his throat on the way up. He stayed there like that, as Alex's words played again and again in his head… Even so, it wasn't Alex's voice that he heard saying them. It was Jack's. He could just picture him, explaining everything to Alex… He could just picture him, doing everything to Sandy… Hurting him, all the while wearing that twisted grin on his face. He stayed there like that, as the minutes passed, and his stomach was emptied of its contents…

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"I don't want to talk about it!" Sandy snapped.

"All right…" Reva said. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to…"

Sandy turned away from her as an awkward silence filled the room. The sounds of the monitors were all that could be heard as they both made no attempt to converse. In the silence, there was only one thing that Sandy could think about. And he didn't want to think about it. He needed to get his mind off of it. He needed something else to focus on. Something… Anything besides the thoughts that were filling his head. And then it hit him, there was something else that they could discuss. Something that would, for the moment at least, take his mind off of his tormentors. He looked back at his mother and said. "Did you ever plan on telling me?"

"What?" Reva asked, completely floored at the accusatory tone her son's voice had taken on. "Did I ever plan on telling you what?"

"You know what…" Sandy said.

"No, Sandy…" Reva said. "I don't…"

"Tom!" Sandy said. "Did you ever plan on telling me about Tom?"

Reva didn't know what to say. She tried to think up some good excuse, but none came to her mind. "I… Umm… I…" she stuttered, unable to get the words out.

"Of course you didn't…" Sandy said.

"Sandy… I…" Reva started.

"You what?" Sandy snapped. "You what?"

"I could never find the right time… I could never find the right words…"

"And you think that that is a valid excuse?"

"I don't… I don't know…"

"YOU DON'T KNOW?"

"I just… I…"

"Could you just please tell me the truth? Just one fucking time in your entire life, mother?"

Reva's eyes widened. Sandy had never called her that before. What an awkward time for him to first do so.

"Why did you even lie about it in the first place? Huh? Can you at least tell me that much?"

"I don't… I don't remember…"

"You don't remember? What do you mean you don't remember? How the fuck can you not remember?"

"Some of it…" Reva said. "I never got back…"

Sandy sighed angrily.

"Well…" Reva said, seeming to forget where they were and why they were there in the heat of the argument. "If you've known all this time then how come you've never said anything!?!"

"Yeah…" Sandy said. "Turn this around on me…"

"That's not what I'm doing…" Reva said, trying to calm down somewhat.

"You never planned on telling me, did you?" Sandy said. "You never planned on telling anyone…"

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	45. Chapter 45

Jeffrey moved away from the bowl and made his way to the sink. He splashed some water onto his face and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked awful. He didn't know how much longer he could continue to deny himself a decent night's sleep. Maybe, after he told Sandy that he'd been able to pull a confession out of Alex, he would go back to the Beacon and get some sleep. He walked out of the restroom and looked for a vending machine; he needed to get that awful taste out of his mouth. When he finally found one, he bought some gum. He stood there, chewing on it for a few minutes before heading back to Sandy's room. He looked through the window and noticed that he looked angry. And that Reva looked angry too. He wondered what they were fighting about. He wondered what Reva had done to piss Sandy off this time, if she even had done anything at all… Or if Sandy had picked a fight just to get his mind off of his situation… Not that he could blame him for that, God forbid it ever happened to him, he'd probably be doing the same thing. He didn't want to put himself in the middle of the fight, and sleeping in an actual bed was sounding better and better to him with every minute that passed. So he finally decided to leave the hospital.

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"I can… Show you his picture…" Reva said.

"Yeah…" Sandy spat. "That would make up for all of the lies…"

"Lie, Sandy… It was one lie…"

Sandy rolled his eyes. "What makes you think that I even want to see him?" he asked. "I don't need a stupid picture, I know exactly what the bastard looks like…"

"You do?"

"Yes…" Sandy sighed, resting his head against the pillow. He was beginning to get tired again.

"You're tired aren't you?" Reva asked. "Just go back to sleep…"

"I don't want to sleep…" Sandy said. "I want to know…"

"Why all of this sudden interest in your father?" Reva said. "Do you even care, or are you just trying to avoid the real issue of what's bothering you?"

Sandy glared at his mother. "I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT!" he snapped.

"Sandy, I am just trying to help you…" Reva said. "If you keep everything all bottled up inside it is just going to gnaw away at you until you just can't take it anymore…"

"Really?" Sandy said. "You keep stuff inside… and you seem to be doing just fine… Don't you, Reva?"

Oh, so it was back to Reva now? She sunk back against the chair and said. "I did want to tell you, you know…"

"But you didn't…" Sandy said, unable to stifle a yawn.

"Just go to sleep, Sandy…" Reva said.

"I'll sleep when you leave…" Sandy said. "I don't need a fucking baby-sitter…"

Reva didn't want to leave, but she knew that her son was just as stubborn as she was… Maybe even more so, if that were at all possible. "All right…" she said, getting up out of the chair and walking towards the door. "Fine, Sandy. I'm gone…" She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Sandy closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep within minutes.

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Jeffrey walked into his room, locking the door behind him. He was so tired. He was so, so tired. He spit his gum out into the trash can and took off his shoes before lying down on the bed. He fell asleep in his clothes, too tired to bother with changing into his pajamas.

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	46. Chapter 46

Jeffrey looked up at the clock. The bright red numbers seemed to jump out at him. He'd only been asleep for a few hours? Funny, it had seemed like a lot longer than that. Unless… Over a whole day had passed… Had he really been lacking that much sleep? He stumbled out of bed and picked up his cell phone, looking at the display. He had slept well over a day.

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"Sandy…" Ed said, walking into the room. "How are you feeling today?"

Sandy winked at Ed and smiled. "Just fine, doc, and you?"

Uh oh. He knew he shouldn't've taken that day off. "You're not in any pain?" he asked.

"Nope…" Sandy said. "I feel good…"

Ed looked over Sandy's chart and quickly noticed the discrepancy. Damn that Rick. Ed mumbled something to himself incoherently, vowing to have a talk with his son about proper patient care.

"Somethin' wrong, doc?" Sandy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No…" Ed said. "Just surprised to see you recovering so fast, that's all…"

"You say it like it's a bad thing…" Sandy said.

"Well…" Ed said. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way…"

"So can I go home today, then?" Sandy asked.

"No…" Ed answered.

"But I feel fine…" Sandy said.

"You've still got at least another day after this one…" Ed said. "And probably one more after that…"

"I'm starved…" Sandy said.

"I'll get you something to eat…"

"Real food?" Sandy asked, hopefully. "Or more of that… hospital junk?"

"Well…" Ed replied. "You are in the hospital…"

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Jeffrey was concerned when he found no message from his boss on his voice mail. He dialed his number and waited for an answer, but all he got was his machine. He hung up without leaving a message, and headed for the door. He needed to get back to the hospital. He could call the AD again later.

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"Hey lover…" Sandy smiled when he saw Jeffrey walk through the door.

Jeffrey was taken aback by Sandy's mood. "Hey to you too…" he replied. "I see you're feeling better today…"

"Much better…" Sandy grinned. "Now tell the doctor to let me go home…"

"Didn't he say you'd have to be here at least a few more days?"

"Yeah… But I don't know how much longer I can stay in this damn bed…"

Jeffrey sat down in the chair next to Sandy's bed, looking at the tray on the nightstand beside it. "You're still not eating?" he asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Sandy said. "I'm starved…"

"Then eat your food…"

"I want… A hamburger…" Sandy said. "But they wouldn't bring me one…"

"Well…" Jeffrey said. "Will they let me bring you one?"

"I dunno…" Sandy said. "The doc is a very strict man…"

The doc? What the fuck? "Sandy, are you sure you're OK?"

"I told you… I'm better than OK…"

"I'm gonna… Umm… Go see about getting you that food…"

Sandy smiled at Jeffery. "Well, hurry back lover…" he said.

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"What the hell did you put him on now?" Jeffrey asked, walking up behind Ed.

"I'm sorry…" Ed said. "I took yesterday off and came in late today… One of the other doctors gave him a bit more drugs then he was supposed to be getting…"

"A bit?" Jeffrey asked.

"It should be worn off enough by tomorrow…"

"He wants to know if he can eat outside food…"

"Sure…" Ed said. "That should be fine…"

"All right…" Jeffrey said. "And this… Bit more drugs… There's not gonna be any adverse effects, is there?"

"There shouldn't be any…" Ed said. "Since it was just a little over the one day…"

"And if you'd taken an extended leave, and he'd been given this dosage day after day after day…"

"Then there could've been some withdrawal symptoms when he went off of it…" Ed said. "But I caught it in time…"

"What idiot screwed that up?" Jeffrey asked.

"It doesn't matter…" Ed said, before turning and walking away from Jeffrey as fast as his legs would carry him.

Jeffery shook his head and left for Company.

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	47. Chapter 47

Jeffrey was on his way back to the hospital when his cell phone rang. "Hello?" he answered.

"O'Neill?" the AD said. "I talked to the prosecutor…"

"Well…" Jeffrey said. "What did he have to say…"

"He said that he probably won't need to subpoena any witnesses, but that it would really help if the victim was willing to testify in court…"

"Couldn't he just use his statement?"

"There's no empathizing with a statement…" the AD countered.

Jeffery sighed. "Isn't Alex's testimony enough?"

"Well…" the AD answered. "He said that it certainly helps, but…"

"But what?"

"The jury might think that Alex only confessed to cop a plea…"

"But doesn't his statement match Sandy's?" Jeffrey said, pulling into the hospital parking lot.

"Yes…" the AD said. "It does… And that's the main reason that he thinks he won't have to resort to subpoenaing witnesses…"

"Doesn't sound very definitive…" Jeffrey said.

"I don't think that he's even sure himself…"

"All right… Well… Call me if you hear anything else…"

"Sure thing, O'Neill…" the AD replied before hanging up the phone.

Jeffrey turned off his phone and walked into the hospital.

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"Hey lover…" Sandy smiled. "You got my food?"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "I got your food…"

"Good…" Sandy said. "I'm starved…"

Jeffrey handed him his food and sat in the chair next to the bed. He wondered if he should tell Sandy about Alex's confession, or if he should wait until Sandy was a little less… High… He became lost in his thoughts until Sandy's voice finally pulled him out of them

"Pass me the water?" Sandy asked.

"Huh?" Jeffrey said, surprised to see that he'd already eaten everything.

"The water…" Sandy said. "Pass it to me?"

"Sure…" Jeffrey said, handing it to him.

Sandy gulped down the entire bottle and threw it at the trash can, but his aim fell short. "Damn…" he said, laughing slightly.

"What's so funny?" Jeffrey asked him.

"I missed…" Sandy said, before turning to look into Jeffrey's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Jeffrey said. "Nothing is wrong…"

"Good…" Sandy smiled. "Cause I'm happy…"

"I can see that…" Jeffery said.

"I feel fine…" Sandy said. "I don't know why the doc won't just let me leave…"

"Because you need to stay here…" Jeffrey said.

Sandy pouted. "You're supposed to be on my side…"

Jeffrey laughed at the expression on his face. It was one he'd never seen before… Maybe it was just the drugs. "I am on your side, Sandy…" he chuckled. "I am on your side…"

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	48. Chapter 48

"NO! STOP! GET OFF OF ME!"

Jeffrey jerked awake when he heard the screaming. He'd fallen asleep on that damn chair again. "Sandy…" he mumbled, looking over to see Sandy moving on the bed. "Sandy… Wake up…"

"PLEASE… STOP IT!"

"Sandy!" Jeffrey said, shaking him slightly. "Sandy wake up!"

Sandy's eyes snapped open, almost immediately shifting to survey the room, looking for anyone or anything that might jump out at him.

"Sandy, it's OK…" Jeffery said.

"Jeffrey…" Sandy whispered.

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "I'm right here baby…"

"Jeffrey…" Sandy whispered again, too afraid to say much else. He was still panting and shaking, and could barely make out Jeffrey's form in the darkness.

Jeffrey moved to turn on the light, but instantly regretted it. The glare of the hospital light was so bright that it hurt his eyes at first.

Sandy closed his eyes, the sting from the light only making him tear up more than he already had been.

"It's OK Sandy…" Jeffrey said. "You were just having a bad dream that's all…"

The light had been enough to shock Sandy awake, and he had managed to calm himself down somewhat. "Just… Turn it off…" he said, still blinking back tears. 

"Are you sure?" Jeffery asked.

"Yes…" Sandy said.

Jeffrey shut off the light and felt his way back to the chair. "I'm sorry…" Jeffrey said. "I probably shouldn't've done that…"

"Then why did you?" Sandy snapped. "I'm sorry…" he added with a sigh. "I'm just… So jumpy right now…"

"It's OK…" Jeffrey said.

"I wish that I could just stop dreaming about it…" Sandy said.

Jeffrey grabbed Sandy's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Do you think that you could manage to get back to sleep?" he asked.

"I don't know…" Sandy said. "I'm not sure that I really want to…"

Jeffrey glanced over at the clock. "Well…" he said. "It's 4:00 a.m., what else is there to do?"

Sandy buried his face into the pillow. The last thing that he wanted to do right now was cry… Again… But unfortunately he felt the overwhelming urge to do so.

"Sandy… It's OK…" Jeffrey said, hearing Sandy's attempt to stifle his sobs. "It's OK, Sandy… It's OK to cry…"

Sandy turned to face Jeffrey, even though he could barely even see him through the darkness. "I don't wanna cry…" he said. "I'm so sick and tired of crying…"

"It's OK, Sandy…" Jeffrey said. He knew he'd already repeated the phrase to death, but he didn't know what else to tell him.

"And then when they subpoena me… I'm so weak, Jeffrey… I'm going to fall apart on the stand… What if… What if I… What if I start sobbing like this… And then the jury thinks I'm crazy… And then they don't believe me…" Sandy said, almost beginning to hyperventilate.

"Calm down, Sandy…" Jeffrey said. "Just calm down. There's a very good chance they won't subpoena you anyway, all right. So just calm down, please…"

"But…" Sandy said. "Gus made it sound like…"

"Forget Gus…" Jeffrey said. "All right? I told you, he was overstepping his bounds…"

"But if they have no other witnesses…"

"They do have another witness, Sandy. They do. I was the one that took his statement… I got his confession…"

"Confession?" Sandy asked. "What do you mean confession?"

"Well…" Jeffrey said. "He…"

"Don't tell me you brokered a deal for one of these guys!" Sandy said, completely incensed.

"Sandy there was no other way to keep you off of the stand and still make sure that Jack got put away…"

"Jack?" Sandy said. "Jack? Oh, so now he has a name?"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "His… His name is Jack… And… I had to make sure that he got put away for life…"

"And what about the other guy?" Sandy said. "He hurt me too, Jeffery!"

"Sandy, I know… He'll be in prison for three years…"

"THREE YEARS!?! THAT'S IT?!?"

"Sandy… Please… Try to understand…"

"Oh, I understand!" Sandy spat. "I understand completely! You were just doing your job! Your job that is so damn fucking important!"

"No, Sandy! I was trying to protect you!"

"Protect me? He's getting out in three years… Do you wanna tell me how the fuck that constitutes protecting me?"

"He isn't a threat, Sandy…"

"How can you say that?" Sandy cried. "How can you even say that to me after what that man put me through?"

"Sandy… I know how to read people… When he spoke of you… There was nothing… Not even the slightest hint of emotion in his voice… He recounted the whole thing like he was reading numbers out of the phone book… He saw what he did to you as a job for his boss and a favor for his lover… Nothing less… And nothing more… He's done with it… I can tell…"

"Green eyes…" Sandy whispered.

"What?" Jeffrey asked.

"He's… He's the one with the green eyes, isn't he?"

"Yes…" Jeffrey said. "Yes he is…"

"The other one wanted to kill me…" Sandy said. "I still don't understand why he didn't…"

"Sandy… Do you understand why I had to do this?"

Sandy nodded slightly. "Because the one with the blue eyes wants to kill me…" he said. "And what if he still doesn't get put away? Then what?"

"He will, Sandy… He will get put away…"

"Promise me…" Sandy said.

"I promise you that I will do everything that I can…"

"That's not what I asked you!"

"Sandy, you know I can't promise you a verdict…"

"Why not?" Sandy said. "Why would you cut that man a deal if you couldn't?"

"Because! It makes it that much more likely."

"The one you cut a deal with… You… You're sure that he won't hurt me again…"

"He has no reason to, Sandy…" Jeffrey said. "Both of his reasons are going to spend the rest of their lives behind bars… He's just a lackey… A follower… He would never initiate anything on his own… He's just not the type…"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I've made a career out of being sure…"

Sandy sighed and rested his head on the pillow.

"Just try to go back to sleep…" Jeffrey said. "We can talk about it some more in the morning if you want…"


	49. Chapter 49

"Who are you?" Sandy asked, looking up to see an unfamiliar man walking into his room.

"My name is Dr. Brahm…" the man replied. "I'm here to talk to you…"

Sandy was slightly confused. "My doctor is Ed Bauer…" he said.

"Well, I'm a different kind of Dr.…"

"What?" Sandy asked, before the realization hit him. "I'm not crazy… I don't need a fucking shrink!"

"I never said that you were crazy… I just want to talk to you…"

"Well… I don't wanna talk to you…"

"You don't have a choice…"

"Of course I have a choice…"

"You do want to leave this place, don't you? Your doctor has ordered a full psychiatric evaluation be completed before he discharges you…"

"I'm not crazy…" Sandy said.

"I never said that you were…"

"Then why are you here?"

"Your doctor says that he has witnessed some erratic behavior…"

"I have been in this hospital bed for days! How the fuck am I supposed to behave?"

"Tell me about what happened to you…"

"You have access to my medical records, don't you?" Sandy said. "Why don't you go read the damn things if you need to know so badly…"

"Do you want to stay in the hospital, Sandy?"

"No… Why would you say that?"

"It appears that you are purposely antagonizing me…"

"So what?" Sandy asked.

"It is almost as if you want me to tell the doctor that you are crazy, so that you won't have to go home…"

"So tell me this, then, why wouldn't I want to go home?"

"Because you're afraid…"

"You don't know shit…" Sandy said, turning away from him.

"Then educate me…"

"I'm not crazy…"

"Let's not use the word crazy… Let's say irrational…"

Sandy rolled his eyes.

"If you don't like me, that's fine Sandy… But after you are released you are going to need to see a professional on a regular basis… I can recommend someone else if you are uncomfortable with me…"

"I just want to go home…" Sandy said. "That's all… Just tell my doctor that I am fine, and that I'm not crazy, and that I can leave…"

"I need to do my job…"

"Well, if your job is to annoy the patients…"

"Just talk to me Sandy…"

"I am talking to you…"

"No. You are dodging the subject…"

"What exactly do you wanna know, huh? Do you want to hear that I was scared out of my mind when it happened? Do you wanna hear that I was afraid he was going to kill me? That every time I go to sleep I dream about it… That it's almost constantly on my mind… That I'm pretty damn sure that I will never, ever feel safe again… That every time I see a badge something inside of me snaps to the point where I become hysterical… And that it makes the images so much more vivid… That I can't get control of my thoughts… Because those monsters keep slipping into them… That I'm haunted by the fact that his lawyers might be able to get him off, but that I'm still too afraid to testify against him… Huh? Tell me… Do you wanna hear that? Do you wanna hear that I blame myself for not running at the first moment that I heard those footsteps behind me? That I know if I had been stronger I could have fought them off of me… That if only I had been carrying a gun… I could've… I could've killed them both… That sometimes I do have those moments where I wish they would've just finished the job and killed me… Because at least then I wouldn't have to feel like this… I wouldn't have be scared… I wouldn't have to hurt like this…" Sandy began to shake slightly as tears ran down his face. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Huh? Go ahead, tell me I'm crazy… I don't care anymore… I don't care… I just don't care…"

"These moments… Do you ever intend on acting on them?"

"No!" Sandy said. "No!"

"And why not?"

"Because when I can think half-way clearly I know that I don't want to die… Don't want to miss out on the rest of my life… Don't want to let that bastard get exactly what he wanted in the first place…" Sandy said. "Or maybe… Maybe it's because I'm just too spineless to go through with it…"

"Well…" the psychiatrist replied. "You seem perfectly sane to me…"

Sandy looked back over at him. "What?"

"But you are still going to need to make some follow up appointments with me… Or at least one of my colleagues…"

"Why?" Sandy asked, wiping his eyes. "You said that I was perfectly sane…"

"Just because you're not crazy, doesn't mean that you don't need help…"

"I don't need help…"

"Do you want to keep feeling like that?"

"There's nothing you can do anyway… You can't help me… You can't erase what happened to me…"

"But I can help you learn to deal with it, Sandy… I can help you not to be afraid anymore… I can help with the nightmares…"

Sandy sighed. "Look… You said I was sane… So I think that we're done here…"

"Sandy, you need help…"

"Not from you I don't…"

"I can recommend somebody else…"

"I don't need a fucking shrink!"

"Yes you do!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"You need help, Sandy!"

"I'm not broken! I don't need to be fixed!"

"You need help… You cannot keep going on like this… You cannot live like this, Sandy… You cannot live with this irrational fear…"

"MY FEAR IS NOT IRRATIONAL!"

"Sandy, listen to me…"

"I'm tired of listening to you! You don't know me! You don't know anything! Just leave me alone!"

"You need help…"

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

"You need help, Sandy…"

"SHUT UP!"  
"Sandy, you need help…"

"What do you want from me?" Sandy asked, tired of arguing with him.

"I want you to agree to come see me…"

"Fine…" Sandy growled. "I will make an appointment… Can you leave now?"

"I will make sure that you do…" the man replied before finally walking out of the room.


	50. Chapter 50

"Sandy…" Ed said. "I have your discharge papers ready… I just need you to sign them…"

"Really?" Sandy asked, looking up at him. "I can leave?"

"Yes…" Ed said. "Just sign these…"

Sandy looked over the forms. "Do you have a pen?" he asked.

"Here…" Ed said, handing it to him. "Are you… Are you going home with your mother or with Jeffrey O'Neill?"

Sandy looked insulted. "I live by myself…" he said.

"I know…" Ed said. "But it would be better if you had some help these next few days…"

"Jeffrey is taking me home…" Sandy said. "But I'm not staying with him. He's just driving me…"

"I can't stop you, Sandy… But I recommend that you reconsider… And stay with someone… I'm sure your mother will take you in if Jeffrey doesn't want…"

"I never said Jeffrey wouldn't!" Sandy said. "But I can take care of myself!"

"Sandy…" Ed said. "Listen to me…"

"I'm not a child!" Sandy said. "I don't need my mother to baby-sit me!" He didn't want to stay with Reva, she would be much too overbearing, and besides, he still felt bad about the way he had gone off on her the other day. She hadn't been back to see him since, and he couldn't blame her for that. Not after the way he'd been acting… "And I certainly don't need to be putting that responsibility onto Jeffrey! I love him too much to do that to him… He has a job to do, Ed! He… He has a life…" He knew that he had already caused Jeffrey a lot of strife. Yes, he probably would feel safer… Still not safe, just safer… With Jeffrey's arms around him… But he didn't want to cause Jeffrey any more trouble. He'd already cost him getting to prosecute one of the biggest cases of his career. No… He wasn't going to burden him like that…

"Sandy…" Jeffrey said, standing in the doorway. "You are my life…"

When had he gotten here? How much had he heard? Sandy looked up him. "Jeffrey…" he said. He didn't need to be hearing him saying those things right now. If only because he knew they were true. "Jeffrey… You don't… You don't have to…"

Ed slipped out of the room unnoticed. He knew that these two needed some time alone.

"Sandy…" Jeffrey said, walking over to sit at his bedside. "I know… I know I don't have to… But… I want to…"

"I… I can take care of myself…" Sandy said.

"I'm not saying that you can't…" Jeffrey said. "But I want to take care of you… Sandy… I… I want to help you get better… I want to be there for you… I want to put my arms around you and hold you close to me… I want to be there to hold you… If… God forbid you're having nightmares… I want to be the one to wipe away your tears… I want to be there for you, Sandy… I just… I want to love you, Sandy… Could you please… Just… Let me do that?"

Sandy almost had tears in his eyes again. But they weren't tears of sadness. If he had told anyone that Jeffrey O'Neill said things like that… And meant them… No one would ever believe him. Sometimes it was even hard for him to believe. That he could love somebody so much… "Jeffrey…" he whispered, not quite sure what else to say to him.

Jeffrey moved closer to him, softly stroking the side of his face. "Sandy…" he whispered. "Will you please come home with me… Or, at least, let me come home with you?"

Sandy looked into Jeffrey's eyes. He needed to feel closer to him in that moment. He brought his lips up to meet Jeffrey's and kissed him softly.

Jeffrey instantly sank into the kiss, before forcing himself to pull away. "I… I love you Sandy…" he whispered.

"I know…" Sandy said, before pulling Jeffrey back into the kiss, which quickly escalated into one much deeper than either one of them had intended.

Ed walked back into the room to pick up the papers, immediately taken aback by what he saw. "Jeffrey!" he barked. "I need to see you outside for a minute…"

Jeffrey pulled back from Sandy. "Why?" he asked.

"Outside!" Ed barked. "Now!"

Jeffrey followed Ed outside of the room, shutting the door behind him. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"You don't even have him home yet… And you're already… He has broken ribs, Jeffrey! And internal tearing! You can't be… He can't be…"

"Do you really think that I am that much of an insensitive jerk?" Jeffrey growled. "It was a kiss, Ed! It was just a kiss! A kiss which, by the way, he initiated! I know that he is hurt! I know what he can and can't do! I'm not stupid, Ed! I know…"

"If you are unable to control yourself… Even for his sake…"

"I can control myself just fine!"

"He is going to need a few months, Jeffrey! And that is just to heal physically! There's no telling how long he is going to take to be ready again mentally, because it is different for every person. Jeffrey, if you are unable to handle that…"

"I love him! I can handle it just fine!"

"You're sure?"

"Yes… I'm sure!"

Ed sighed, maybe he'd overreacted. "All right…" he said. "What are you waiting for then… Go take him home…"

They both walked back into Sandy's room.

"What was that whole thing about?" Sandy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing…" Jeffrey said. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah…" Sandy said, handing Ed the signed papers.

Ed looked over the papers. "Here's a prescription for painkillers…" Ed said. "You can get it filled at the pharmacy two buildings down…"

"Thanks, Ed…" Sandy said. "For everything…"

"I'm just doing my job…" Ed said, before leaving the room.

"Help me up?" Sandy asked.

Jeffrey took Sandy by the hand and helped him out of the hospital bed.

Sandy stumbled slightly, wincing as he did so.

"Just… Lean against me…" Jeffrey said.

Sandy leaned against him, wrapping an arm around him.

Jeffrey mirrored his move, wrapping an arm around him as well. "All right…" he said. "Is it easier to walk like that?"

"Yeah…" Sandy said. "My sides don't hurt as much…"

"Good…" Jeffrey said. "Keep walking like that, then…"

"Jeffrey?" Sandy said.

"What?" Jeffrey asked.

"I love you…" Sandy replied.

"I love you too Sandy." Jeffrey answered. "I love you too…"

THE END


End file.
